A Youth Akali Dal leader, Vicky Middukhera, was shot dead in broad daylight in Punjab's Mohali on Saturday, police said.
“Two armed miscreants opened fire at Middukhera in a market area and fled from the spot”, Akashdeep Singh Aulakh, Mohali Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) told PTI over phone.
A case has been registered, and further investigations are underway, he said, adding that the police are trying to identify the four accused, and are hopeful of nabbing them soon.
Footage from CCTV cameras in the area where Middukhera had gone to meet a real estate dealer, showed the masked miscreants, open fire as Middukhera was getting into his parked car. The attackers, then chased and fired at him as he ran for cover. According to the police, eight to nine rounds were fired before the culprits escaped in a car.
Following the attack, Middukhera, a former president of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) student wing, Student Organisation of India, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Senior SAD leader and party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said that the incident has once again exposed the state's “deteriorating law and order situation”. Demanding a high-level probe, Mr. Cheema said, “This shows there is no fear of law as the incident took place in broad daylight.”
“No one feels safe because the law and order situation in Punjab has broken down,” he added.
Describing Middukhera as a bright and talented youth leader, Mr. Cheema remarked that the incident also raises suspicion as the state is under heightened security, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.
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