A chilling CCTV video has captured the killing of Ashwani Devgan, a village sarpanch linked to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, where unidentified assailants gunned him down amid a busy street.
A chilling CCTV video has captured the killing of Ashwani Devgan, a village sarpanch linked to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, where unidentified assailants gunned him down amid a busy street as the state heads towards elections.
The 17-second clip shows an SUV driving along a bustling street before taking a right turn. A motorcycle following the vehicle makes the same turn, pulls alongside the SUV and matches its speed. Within seconds, the pillion rider pulls out a gun and unleashes a volley of bullets at the vehicle’s occupants.
As the SUV comes to a halt, the motorcycle speeds away through the crowded street.
Scroll to load tweet…
Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Surinder Lamba said three motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire on Devgan, the sarpanch of Toot village. The incident took place on Tuesday.
According to police, Devgan had gone to the Toot bus stand when the unidentified attackers arrived on a motorcycle and fired at him from point-blank range before fleeing the scene. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators have so far found no evidence of a prior threat, extortion call or personal enmity, Lamba said. He added that Devgan had never sought police security as a manhunt was launched to track down those responsible for the killing.
Police are scanning CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to identify the assailants and reconstruct their escape route. Several teams have been dispatched to different locations, while investigators said they had gathered vital clues from the crime scene.
Following the shooting, the Toot bus stand area was cordoned off as forensic teams from Tarn Taran and neighbouring Amritsar district collected evidence.
Another Sarpanch Shot Dead Days Earlier
Devgan’s killing comes just days after another former village sarpanch was shot dead in Punjab. On Saturday evening, Navjeet Singh Neetu, 55, former sarpanch of Mannewal village in Ludhiana, was allegedly killed by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants near the village.
Neetu was reportedly on his way to his residence in Ghumar Mandi when the attackers struck.