Sukhjeet Singh, 26, the newly elected sarpanch of village Chhana Gulab Singh Wala in Barnala district’s Bhadaur constituency, was murdered on Sunday evening following an altercation. His father, Amarjeet Singh, and two others were also injured in the attack.
Amarjeet Singh alleged that the attack, involving over 50 individuals, was motivated by his son’s efforts to curb drug abuse in the village. “They attacked us with sharp-edged weapons. We were only 5-6 people and couldn’t defend ourselves,” he said.
Balkaran Singh, Sukhjeet’s cousin, added that the incident unfolded after Sukhjeet confronted a group of youths using injectable drugs. “He warned them against using drugs while returning home from my place. Soon after, a mob of over 50 people, including the rival candidate, came to his house and attacked us. Sukhjeet was critically injured and later died on the way to the hospital,” he said.
Sukhjeet was initially taken to Bhadaur hospital, which reportedly lacked oxygen facilities, before being referred to Barnala Civil Hospital.
The local police have denied any drug-related motive, attributing the murder to old animosity. SSP Barnala Sandeep Malik said, “An FIR has been lodged against Gurcharan Singh, the rival candidate, and a few unidentified persons. Preliminary investigations suggest the attack stemmed from animosity following the sarpanch election.”
Gurcharan Singh, the accused, had lost the October sarpanch polls to Sukhjeet by a margin of 450 votes. According to the police, the two had frequent arguments since the results. On Sunday, Gurcharan and his supporters reportedly attacked Sukhjeet with sharp-edged weapons, injuring him fatally.
Amarjeet Singh, who sustained injuries, has been referred to AIIMS Bathinda for further treatment. He is currently stable, according to officials.
Both Sukhjeet and Gurcharan hailed from modest farming families, each owning around five acres of land and relying on contract farming for additional income.
In 2018, when the village was reserved for women candidates, a candidate from Gurcharan’s family lost the election. This time, Gurmail Singh, a former sarpanch and ally of Sukhjeet, had supported him in the polls. The village has around 1,000 voters, and Sukhjeet’s convincing victory widened the rift between the two families.
Sources revealed that after his victory, Sukhjeet had taken proactive steps to rid the village of drugs. However, this reportedly led to clashes with certain individuals, including Gurcharan, who disagreed with his approach.
SSP Malik stated, “As of now, the motive appears to be rooted in electoral rivalry. We have not found any evidence linking the attack to a drug-related issue. Further investigations are underway.”
Meanwhile, Bhadaur’s AAP MLA Labh Singh Ugoke visited Barnala Civil Hospital to meet the injured family members.
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