Punjab Panchayat Elections: AAP Leader Shot At In Fazilka, Party Blames Akali Dal

An AAP leader, Mandeep Singh Brar, was critically injured in a shooting amid a clash with SAD members in Jalalabad, Punjab.

An AAP leader sustained gunshot in Punjab's Fazilika district. (Representational Image)

Source : Unsplash

An Aam Aadmi Party leader was injured during a firing incident that took place amid a clash with the members of the Shiromani Akali Dal in Jalalabad in Punjab's Fazilika district. 

Mandeep Singh Brar, who is a candidate from AAP in the upcoming panchayat elections, is said to be in critical condition after he sustained bullet injuries to his chest, reported India Today. 

The incident occurred on Saturday during a meeting related to the polls. 

Punjab's Panchayati Raj Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saundh said the AAP leader was contesting the Sarpanch elections and when he went to the BDPO office to file his nomination, a person belonging to the Akali Dal shot at him with his licensed weapon. 

"This is a very shameful incident which we condemn," the minister said as he visited the AAP leader in a Ludhiana hospital. 

Saundh further alleged that the Akali Dal and Congress do not want an atmosphere of peace in Punjab and are intimidating anyone who supports the AAP in the panchayat elections. 

According to the police, the clash between the two groups broke out when Shiromani Akali Dal leader Vardev Singh Nonni Mann and other party workers arrived at the BDPO office where AAP workers were also present, reported Hindustan Times. 

One of Mann's relatives is contesting the rural body polls. His group feared that the nomination paper of their camp would be rejected based on a complaint by Brar. 

There have been allegations against Nonni Mann’s camp regarding illegal land possession, HT reported. 

The dispute turned violent when Mandeep reportedly got into an argument with the Mann camp, resulting in firing. Brar sustained a gunshot wound and was immediately referred to the DMC in Ludhiana for advanced medical care. Another AAP worker was also injured in the firing whose identity is yet to be ascertained. The worker sustained a gunshot in his hand and was referred to a hospital in Faridkot.