AAP Leader Injured in Firing in Punjab; Party Blames Akali Dal

Chandigarh: In a violent clash between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Jalalabad, Punjab’s Fazilka district, AAP leader Mandeep Singh Brar was critically injured in a shooting on Saturday.

Brar, an AAP candidate for the upcoming panchayat elections, sustained serious bullet wounds to his chest during a meeting related to the polls.

Punjab’s Panchayati Raj Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saundh, who visited Brar at a Ludhiana hospital, stated that Brar was shot by an Akali Dal member while filing his nomination at the BDPO office. “This shameful incident is deeply concerning and deserves condemnation,” he remarked.

Minister Saundh accused the Akali Dal and Congress of fostering an atmosphere of intimidation against AAP supporters in the lead-up to the elections. Jalalabad MLA Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy, who witnessed the shooting, claimed that the conflict arose over an illegal occupation of Panchayat land by the accused, which Brar had challenged.

“The individual from the opposing party was illegally occupying Panchayat land, a matter pending in the High Court. Our candidate objected to his nomination papers, prompting the confrontation that led to the shooting,” Goldy explained.

Following the incident, senior police officials arrived on the scene to manage the escalating tensions in the area.

Elections for 13,229 gram panchayats in Punjab are scheduled for October 15.