Ludhiana: Youth assaulted over ‘panchayat poll rivalry’

According to the police, the accused and the victim are aged between 19 and 22 years; two of the accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Dalla village, and Kamal of Galib Kalan, Ludhiana, while three others are yet to be identified

A 20-year-old man was brutally assaulted and abducted by a group of five men before being dropped in Moga on Thursday. The incident is linked to an old rivalry stemming from the panchayat elections in October.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of Amritpal Singh, 20, a resident of Dalla village. Amritpal said he was returning home with his friend Jagdeep Singh, also of Dalla village, on a motorcycle from Jagraon, Ludhiana, at around 3 pm. While taking a turn towards their village near Nava Dalla village crossing, a car struck their motorcycle from behind, causing them to fall. (HT Photo)

According to the police, the accused and the victim are aged between 19 and 22 years. Two of the accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Dalla village, and Kamal of Galib Kalan while three others are yet to be identified.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of Amritpal Singh, 20, a resident of Dalla village. Amritpal said he was returning home with his friend Jagdeep Singh, also of Dalla village, on a motorcycle from Jagraon at around 3 pm. While taking a turn towards their village near Nava Dalla village crossing, a car struck their motorcycle from behind, causing them to fall.

“Five men, including Gurpreet and Kamal, got out of the vehicle armed with baseball bats and began assaulting Jagdeep. To save myself, I ran towards the fields. I saw Gurpreet hitting Jagdeep on his arms with a bat and Kamal striking his head. They then forced Jagdeep into their car and drove away,” Amritpal said in his statement.

The accused reportedly dropped Jagdeep in Moga after the assault. Jagdeep later contacted his family, who brought him back home.

Investigating officer ASI Dharminder Singh confirmed that an FIR has been registered against the accused under Sections 127(6), 191(3), and 190 of the BNS Act at Jagraon Sadar police station.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the incident stemmed from an old rivalry between the accused and the victim during the panchayat elections. “The police have launched a manhunt to trace the accused and are conducting further investigations into the matter,” the ASI said.