Amritsar, May 8
Youth Congress president Sukhraj Singh (30) was shot dead by an Akali sarpanch and his men at Bhagopur in the Patti Assembly constituency of Tarn Taran today.

The incident took place a day after senior Congress leader Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi’s PA was allegedly injured in an attack near Ferozepur by SAD workers.

Sukhraj Singh reportedly received two gunshots in a shootout around 7.30 pm. He was taken to the Patti Civil Hospital where the doctors declared him “brought dead”.

Sukhraj Singh had reportedly gone to the gurdwara at his native village to pay obeisance after filing nomination papers for the Block Samiti poll. As soon as he came out of the gurdwara, Akali sarpanch Sarwan Singh and some unidentified persons opened fire at him. They fled the scene immediately thereafter. Sukhraj was critically injured in the firing.

Senior Congress leader Harminder Singh Gill said political rivalry was the reason behind Sukhraj’s killing. “This was not a case of personal enmity, but of political rivalry,” Gill said. He alleged the police forcibly took into its possession the firearms of Congress workers last night, while the firearms of the leaders of the ruling party were not taken. Punjab Youth Congress chief Vikramjit Singh Chaudhry said it was yet another example of deteriorating law and order situation in the state under the SAD-BJP regime. Sukhraj had entered into an argument with some SAD leaders at the time of filing of nomination papers, he said. It was a preplanned murder, he alleged.