TARN TARAN: Police have detained multiple suspects in connection with the killing of an AAP sarpanch at a wedding समारोह in Tarn Taran, even as fugitive gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa claimed responsibility for the murder through a social media post.
Harbinder Singh, 45, the village head of Thathian Mahanta, was shot dead on Wednesday night while dancing at a wedding in nearby Jhamka village. A cousin who attempted to pursue the assailants was also shot and injured during the attack.
Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Lamba said on Thursday that eight to ten “criminal suspects” and associates linked to the main आरोपी have been rounded up for questioning. However, he declined to reveal the identity of the prime suspect, citing concerns that it could hamper the ongoing investigation.
Landa, who is believed to be hiding in Canada and is also accused of masterminding the 2022 RPG attack on a Punjab police station, took to social media to claim that he had ordered the killing. In the post, he alleged that the sarpanch had harmed one of his associates and warned of further retaliation, accusing police of carrying out illegal encounters.
SSP Lamba confirmed that police are verifying the authenticity and intent of the online claim. “We are probing the case from multiple angles,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia expressed condolences to the victim’s family and criticised the state’s law-and-order situation. In a social media statement, he described the incident as evidence of deteriorating security in Punjab, pointing to recent violent incidents as signs of systemic failure.
Police said investigations are ongoing and further arrests are likely.
