Punjab AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi dies of bullet wound in Ludhiana

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann headed to meet bereaved family, cremation at ground near KVM School, Civil Lines, Ludhiana at 3pm.

Aam Aadmi Party Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, 58, died after sustaining a gunshot wound in his head at his house on Friday night.

Punjab Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, 58, died after sustaining a gunshot wound in his head at his house in Ludhiana on Friday night. (HT file photo)

Police said the MLA died in accidental firing at his house in Dayal Nagar of Ghumar Mandi in Ludhiana district. He was rushed to the local Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) by family members but succumbed on the way around midnight.

On being informed, commissioner of police Kuldeep Singh Chahal and deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal reached the hospital.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said that family members of the MLA told the police that he was in his room when they heard a gunshot. They rushed to find him bleeding and took him to hospital immediately.

The DCP said that the MLA had dinner as usual before retiring to his room. Investigation is underway.

Earlier in the day, Gogi had participated in a cleanliness drive of the local Buddha Nullah that was attended by Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and environmentalist and AAP MP Balbir Singh Seechewal.

He had also visited Prachin Sheetla Mata Mandir, which was targeted by burglars two days ago, and assured devotees of action.

AAP leaders mourn death

AAP convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal posted on X: “Deeply saddened to learn about the untimely passing of Gurpreet Gogi Bassi ji, the MLA from Ludhiana. A leader who served his people with unwavering dedication and compassion, his absence will leave a void that is hard to fill. May his soul rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with his grieving family during this difficult time. May they find strength and solace. We stand firmly with his family and the people of Ludhiana in this moment of profound loss. His legacy of service will always be remembered.”

Punjab AAP president Aman Arora also expressed his condolences. “Shocked and heartbroken. My deepest condolences to the grieving family during this difficult time. May they find the strength to endure this painful loss. I pray to the Almighty that his noble soul rests in eternal peace,” he posted on X.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann would be meeting the bereaved family to express condolences.

State cabinet minister Hardeep Singh Mundian was the first party leader to reach Gogi’s house to condole the death. Mundian said that Gogi was like an elder brother to him and termed his death a setback for the AAP. The family said the last rites would be conducted at 3pm at the cremation ground near KVM School, Civil Lines branch, Ludhiana.

Left Congress for AAP in 2022

Gogi joined the AAP in 2022 before the assembly election. He defeated former cabinet minister and two-time Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Ludhiana (West).

Earlier, he was a councillor from ward number 76 of Ludhiana West for three terms from 2007-22. He was the district Congress committee (urban) president from 2014-19. During the Congress rule, he was Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) chairman from 2019-22. He was a member of the committee on estimates and committee on local bodies of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2022-23.

He was later appointed chairman, committee on local bodies of the Vidhan Sabha, for the first time for 2022-23 and 2024-25.

On August 23, 2024, Gogi removed a foundation stone of a pipeline project to be built under the ₹650-crore Buddha Nullah rejuvenation plan. It was he himself who had laid it in 2022. Gogi said he removed the stone as he was frustrated by the poor performance of the departments involved in the project.

A collector of vintage scooters and motorcycles, Gogi had filed his nomination papers in 2022 by riding an old scooter to the mini secretariat.

During the recent municipal corporation elections, Gogi had taken his wife, Sukhchain Kaur Gogi, an AAP candidate, on his vintage scooter to the mini secretariat to file her papers. She, however, lost to Congress candidate Inderjit Singh Indi.