BARNALA, Punjab—Jathedar Bahadur Singh, the Deputy Chief of a faction of Buddha Dal headed by Baba Surjit Singh, was reportedly shot dead at village Kahneke of district Barnala on August 22. He was 60 years old and group rivalry is being considered as a reason behind his murder.
In a complaint lodged with local police, the complainant Lal Singh has informed the police that he along with other nihangs, were sleeping at the community centre of the village when they heard the sound of gunshots being fired, around midnight.
“When we woke up, they we Bahadur Singh lying in a pool of blood. We saw around 10 persons, including Jaspal Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Jagraj Singh, Baldev Singh, Arjan Dev Singh and Sarwan Singh, fleeing in a Bolero”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Police have registered a complaint against six nihangs of a rival faction but none of them have been arrested yet.
Interacting with media, the SHO Malkiat Singh Cheema, revealed that Jathedar Bahadur Singh is suspected to have been murdered as he was due to record a statement that day, in a Bathinda Court, in relation to a clash dating back to 2012.
“The Surjit and Balvir factions of nihangs have been at loggerheads over the possession of various properties. We are conducting raids to arrest the accused,” said the SHO.
