Dera follower out on bail shot dead in Punjab, murder caught on CCTV

A Dera Sacha Sauda follower, who was an accused in the 2015 sacrilege cases, was shot dead on Thursday by five unidentified assailants in Punjab's Faridkot district, the police said.

Pardeep Singh was shot in his dairy shop at around 7 am in Kotkapura in Faridkot, the police said, adding that his security man and another person sustained bullet injuries in the incident.

The incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed nearby.

Of the five motorcycle-borne assailants, two entered Pardeep Singh's shop and opened fire at him.

After they ran out of the shop, the other three waiting outside also opened fire. Several shots were fired in the incident.

After committing the crime, the assailants fled.

Pardeep Singh was an accused in a case of theft of a bir (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in June 2015 and also in a case linked to torn pages of the Sikh holy book being found scattered in Bargari in October 2015 in Faridkot. He was currently on bail.

Several senior officers including additional director general of police (law and order) Arpit Shukla and inspector general of police (Faridkot Range) Pradeep Kumar Yadav visited the crime spot and took stock of the situation.

A forensic team also reached the spot to collect samples.

Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav urged people to maintain peace and harmony in the state and said an investigation in the incident is underway.

"The situation is under control and I urge people to maintain peace and harmony in the state. @PunjabPoliceInd is doing proper investigation Request citizens not to panic or spread fake news or any hate speech," the DGP said in a tweet.

Speaking to reporters, IGP Pradeep Yadav said police has got some leads and are working on them.

He said the assailants will be arrested soon.

The police is also examining the CCTV footage of the incident.

Pardeep Singh's killing came days after the November 4 murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar. Both the victims had police protection.

Opposition parties attacked the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over the law and order situation in the state.

Former Punjab chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amarinder Singh alleged that the state is "heading towards total lawlessness".

"Daily murders, Daylight Firing, Pb is sadly heading towards total lawlessness & the inexperienced @BhagwantMann led govt has been able to do nothing to stop all this. I strongly urge him to start focusing on law & order of state before we transcend towards the dark era of 80s," Singh tweeted.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said there is "complete anarchy" in the state.

"As @AAPPunjab govt failed & @ArvindKejriwal forgot to do justice in sacrilege cases within 24 hours, people have started taking law in their own hands. A dera follower has been reportedly killed in Kotkapura. Killings have no justification," he said in a tweet.

Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma said the state government is in a "deep slumber".

"One more murder... Every day incidents of violence are happening in Punjab... Bhagwant Mannji, understand your constitutional duty and turn your attention towards Punjab," he said.

Mann said no one will be allowed to disturb peace in the state.

"Punjab is a peace-loving state where mutual brotherhood of people is very strong... No one will be allowed to disturb the peace of Punjab. Strict instructions (have been given) to the civil and police officials to maintain the peace and tranquillity in the state," he tweeted.

Incidents of theft of the bir of the Guru Granth Sahib, putting up of handwritten sacrilegious posters and torn pages of the holy book being found in Bargari had triggered protests in Faridkot in 2015.

Two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some people were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot after police fired at protesters in October 2015.