Punjab Village anti-drug committee member shot in Barnala injured

Barnala (Punjab), Nov 8 (PTI) A 27-year-old man, a member of a village anti-drug committee, was allegedly shot at by a group of people at his home in Kaleke village here, police said on Sunday.

    The injured Amandeep Singh was admitted to hospital and his condition was stable, they said, adding that four people have been identified in connection with the incident that took place on Saturday.

    He sustained a bullet injury to his thigh after some people opened fire at him at his residence, Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajinder Pal said.

    Amandeep is out of danger and his condition is stable, he said.

    Dhanaula SHO Baljinder Singh said the matter is under investigation. "We are investigating the motive behind the incident," he said, while adding that four people, who are locals, have been identified.

    When pointed out that some media reports said Amandeep had earlier informed the police about the activity of some suspected drug peddlers in the area and whether they could have held a grudge against him, Singh said, "Amandeep was part of a group or the anti-drug committee. In the past, an FIR was registered against some people based on the information given by him to the police."

    In Saturday's firing incident, however, investigations are ongoing to find out the motive behind, he said, adding that "We are verifying whether the incident was related to personal enmity or whether any other angle is involved."

    Notably, last month, anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight at a medical store in a busy marketplace in Mansa town on October 13. The store owner, who had fired at Jhota after the activist confronted him over the sale of addictive drugs to an elderly man, was subsequently arrested.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)