E-Paper
Mohali kabaddi player’s murder: Two of 3 accused identified
Punjab Police on trail of attackers Aditya Kapoor and Karan Pathak of Lucky Patial gang; deny any link with Sidhu Moosewala murder.
A day after a 30-year-old kabaddi player-cum-promoter, Kanwar Digvijay Singh, alias Rana Balachauri, was shot dead when he arrived with his team to take part in a tournament in Mohali, police said efforts were on to arrest the three assailants, two of whom have been identified as members of the Lucky Patial gang.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Mohali senior superintendent of police Harmandeep Singh Hans said that two of the three motorcycle-borne shooters who opened fire during a tournament in Sector 79 on Monday evening have been identified as Aditya Kapoor and Karan Pathak, both from Amritsar district.
The accused, he said, belong to the Lucky Patial gang that is associated with the Davinder Bambiha gang.
“Twelve police teams have been constituted to trace the absconding accused. Aditya faces 13 FIRs and Karan has two cases registered against him,” the SSP said.
Though a probe into the motive is underway, the SSP denied any connection between slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and Balachauria. The police termed the killing an outcome of gang rivalry over “dominance in kabaddi”.
An eyewitness and the complainant, Jagpreet Singh, also suffered bullet wounds when he rushed to Balachauria’s rescue, the SSP said, adding Jagpreet is undergoing treatment at the civil hospital in Phase-6, Mohali.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem of Balachauria is underway at the civil hospital.
A native of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (formerly Nawanshahr), Balachauria had got married only a fortnight ago.
The denial comes on the heels of a social media post claiming responsibility for the killing, terming it “revenge” for Moosewala’s murder. Police sources said that the post is a part of the investigation.
Balachauria was critically injured in the attack and rushed to the nearby Fortis Hospital in Mohali, where he was declared dead.
Attackers pretended to be fans
The incident took place at Sohana in Mohali, where a private kabaddi tournament had been going on for the past few days, SSP Hans said.
A statement issued by Fortis Hospital said, “Kanwar Digvijay Singh was brought at 6.05pm with gunshot injuries. Despite immediate clinical assessment, he was declared brought dead.”
The SSP said the assailants fled on a motorcycle after the crime.
Asked if there was any enmity angle or gang rivalry behind the killing, the SSP said, “The matter is under investigation.”
Eyewitnesses told the police that the attackers pretended to be fans and approached Balachauria to click selfies but opened fire soon after.
The tournament was being held in a packed ground, where Punjabi singer Mankirt Aulakh was also expected for the evening matches to give away prizes, they said.
When Rana reached the ground, he was stopped by the attackers who requested for a selfie. “We first thought firecrackers were being burst,” an eyewitness said, referring to the gunshots. “To scare the spectators, the attackers also fired in the air,” he said.
The killing brought back memories of three years ago when another kabaddi player, Sandeep Nangal, was shot dead in Jalandhar district in the middle of a tournament at Mallian Kalan village.
More recently, a 25-year-old kabaddi player, Teja Singh, was shot dead in broad daylight in Jagraon in October this year.
Another player, Gurvinder Singh, was shot dead in Ludhiana in November.
Collapse of law and order: Oppn
The opposition Congress, SAD and BJP slammed the Bhagwant Mann government for the Mohali incident, alleging total collapse of law and order in the state under the AAP.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring posted on X, “Open firing at a kabaddi tournament in Mohali, claiming the life of player Rana Balachauria, is a chilling reminder of @AAPPunjab’s abject failure to maintain law and order. Bullets flying at public events are proof of governance collapse. Punjabis are being forced to live in fear.”
Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said on X, “Gunshots at the Mohali Kabaddi Cup in Sohana are a damning verdict on @BhagwantMann’s total failure as CM and home minister.” Bajwa, who’s the leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly, claimed that sporting arenas have turned into shooting grounds while criminals roam with impunity.
“When bullets fly at public events, it’s clear the state has lost control. This isn’t governance, this is abdication. Punjab is paying the price for Mann’s incompetence and misplaced priorities. Law and order has collapsed completely. How many more shots before accountability?” he said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the incident has once again shaken Punjab to its core. In a post in Punjabi on X, Badal said, “Under the state’s inept government, the morale of criminals has risen to such heights that they do not hesitate to fire shots even in the middle of a running match in front of the entire crowd. It is the incompetence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann that murders, extortions and numerous other terrorist incidents are happening daily in Punjab. Yet, instead of maintaining law and order, police are focused on implementing government orders related to political vendetta.”
Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma claimed the state has become so insecure today that even the kabaddi fields are no longer safe from bullets. “The incident is even more heartbreaking because Rana Balachauria had been married recently,” Sharma said.
“Previously, kabaddi players Sandeep Nangal Ambian and Tejpal Singh, were brutally murdered. All these events make one thing clear – Punjab’s players are also in the crosshairs of gangsters under the Bhagwant Mann government,” Sharma said on X.
He alleged that “under Mann’s failed leadership and Arvind Kejriwal’s remote-control government run from Delhi, law and order in Punjab has completely collapsed”.
“Criminals, gangsters, murderers and shooters are roaming freely without any fear, while the government is busy with advertisements and false claims. From villages to cities, from streets to stadiums – there is an atmosphere of fear in Punjab today,” he alleged.
