The accused is a claimant to the post of district president of the Ludhiana Youth Akali Dal (Rural).

Amarinder Singh Soni, addressing a press conference, said: “The police have not arrested even one person when nine were named in the FIR. It was strange that Yadu, who is a history sheeter, continued to remain free.”

Soni was with Kulwinder Singh (21) when a group of men allegedly shot the latter outside a restaurant on February 2.

He said Yadu continued to roam freely, claiming to be the Youth Akali Dal (Rural) chief. His posters were all over the city.

Sushil Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, said: “We are making efforts to arrest the accused.” Soni said he had been roughed up by the rival group earlier as well.

When he complained to police, the Yadu group pressurised him to withdraw the police complaint. “Since, I did not succumb to the pressure, they made this attempt.”

The wrestler, accompanied by a small group of sportspersons, said, “I sustained two bullet injuries - one on my shoulder and other near my heart. So I could not speak earlier. I only want the police to arrest those involved in the shootout at the earliest so that the family of the victim got justice”.

Dayal Kaur, mother of the deceased, was inconsolable. “He never raised his voice against anyone. There was no possibility of his involvement in any crime anywhere. The entire village (Goslan) can testify to the fact”, she said. The village sarpanch Hardev Singh and wrestling coach of Soni, Mansa Singh, lamented that an innocent life had been lost.