7 october 2024 : A woman lost her life, and four others sustained critical injuries due to poll-related violence that occurred in the state over the past few days.
On October 4, the last day for filing nominations, Amritsar police arrested four individuals in connection with the murder of 42-year-old Kuldeep Kaur at Kamaska village. Among the injured were two men, Prem Singh and Shamsher Singh, who were admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital following the incident.
Lovepreet Singh, the deceased’s son, stated, “We are associated with the Congress. The attackers were from the Aam Aadmi Party.” Kuldeep’s husband, Balwinder Singh, informed the police that his aunt, Jaspal Kaur (wife of Tarsem Singh), had filed nominations for the sarpanch position, while Daljit Kaur (wife of Mirza Singh) was another candidate.
According to Balwinder, a heated argument erupted around 7 p.m. between Surinder Singh, who supported Tarsem’s family, and Major Singh from the opposing group. After hearing the commotion, Kuldeep went outside to help, but was struck on the head with a wooden log by Sukhdev Singh from the rival faction, resulting in her immediate death.
In a separate incident, Jalalabad police registered a case against Shiromani Akali Dal leaders Vardev Singh, also known as Noni Mann, his brother Nardev Singh (Bobby Mann), and 15 to 20 accomplices for allegedly firing at AAP supporters Mandeep Singh Brar and Rajesh Kumar on Saturday near the Block Development Panchayat Officer’s office. Both victims were treated at Jalalabad Civil Hospital, with Brar being referred to a hospital in Ludhiana for a bullet wound to the chest.
The FIR was filed based on the statement of Gurpreet Singh, who is running for the sarpanch position in Chak Suhele Wala village and is aligned with AAP. The SAD leaders and their supporters face charges under Sections 109, 115(2), 351(2), 191(3), and 190 of the BNS, as well as Section 25 of the Arms Act.
In the meantime, Congress workers staged a dharna outside the residence of the Sub Divisional Magistrate in Abohar, alleging that the nomination papers of several outgoing sarpanches and panches were canceled under political pressure.
