New Delhi: Dera Sacha Sauda follower Pradeep Singh was shot dead in Punjab's Faridkot by unidentified bike-borne assailants, reported news agency ANI. Singh, who was also an acccused in Bargari Sacrilage incident was fired when he was going to his shop in the morning, the report added.
"An incident of firing took place today where a man, Pradeep Singh, died while 3 people were injured. His security personnel did retaliatory firing too. We have received CCTV footage and have got some leads. Situation under control," Pradeep Kumar Yadav, IG, Faridkot range told the news agency.
Reacting to the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that he has given strict instructions to maintain peace in the state.
"Punjab is a peaceful state where brotherhood among people is quite strong. Nobody will be allowed to jeopardize the peace in Punjab. Police and civil officials have been given strict instructions to maintain peace in the state," Mann said.
Pardeep Singh was opening his dairy shop in Kotkapura when he was shot dead and the incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed nearby, they said, adding his gunman also sustained bullet injuries, news agency PTI reported.
Singh was one of the accused in a case of theft of a 'bir' (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot and was currently on bail.
Police were also examining the CCTV footage of the incident which showed that the five had come on two bikes. The sacrilege incidents in Faridkot in 2015 had triggered protests in the district.Two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some people were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot after police fired at protesters in October 2015.
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two women disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, where the dera is headquartered. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017.
(With inputs from PTI)