Barnala, November 7: A member of a village anti-drug committee was shot at his home in Kaleke village of Punjab's Barnala district on Saturday, in an attack police and the family link to his work against drugs in the village. The injured man, Amandeep Singh alias Aman, was hit in the leg and is stable in hospital, National Times Media and TV9 Punjabi reported in two independent accounts of the same incident.

Source: National Times Media

According to Amandeep's account reported by National Times Media, the committee had received information around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday that some youths were consuming drugs inside a house in the village. Committee members reached the spot and a person found there was handed over to police; Amandeep said he had also called the emergency helpline 112. He said police asked him to come to the police station to file a formal complaint, and that associates of those involved allegedly forced open the main gate of his house and opened fire before he could get there, with one bullet hitting his leg.

Source: National Times Media

TV9 Punjabi, citing Amandeep's father Paramjit Singh Pammi, reported a closely matching sequence with a small difference in order: the family's vigil team caught suspected drug suppliers on Saturday morning and handed them to police, and Amandeep had returned home after giving his statement when unidentified attackers broke the door, entered and fired six rounds, one of which hit him in the thigh, in front of his pregnant wife. He fell with heavy bleeding and villagers took him to hospital, where doctors said he is out of danger. The motive is still being investigated, the family said, and police Sub-Inspector Varinder Singh recorded the injured man's statement.

Source: TV9 Punjabi

Four named; committee member says attackers also came to his house

Committee member Sukhchain Singh Cheena alleged that Ranjit Singh Raju, Sukhpreet Singh Sukhkhu, Sukhchain Singh Chahan and Prince went to Amandeep's residence and fired the shots. These are allegations by the committee and the family; the four have not been arrested and have not been tried. Cheena further alleged that the group also approached his own house, that he fired shots in the air with his licensed weapon in self-defence, and that the attackers then fled in a vehicle. He also alleged that Ranjit Singh Raju had previously faced cases under the NDPS Act and in connection with illegal weapons. Villagers have demanded strict action.

Police teams raiding, case being registered

DSP Rajinder Pal Singh confirmed that four people had allegedly opened fire on Amandeep Singh and said separate police teams have been formed to identify and arrest the accused, with raids under way. A case is being registered on the statements of the victim's family, he said. TV9 Punjabi reported that police say the case is being investigated from every angle.

Condition stable, say doctors

Amandeep was first taken to a hospital in Barnala and then referred to a super-speciality hospital. Dr Ishan, who examined him there, said he had been brought in with a gunshot injury and his condition was stable, adding that a CT scan and other investigations would establish the precise nature and extent of the injury.

Congress MLA warns of protest; Bhadaur MLA visits hospital

Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon condemned the attack, expressed concern over the law-and-order situation in Punjab and said people raising their voices against drugs were being targeted. He warned that the Congress would launch a major protest if police failed to arrest the accused within 24 hours. Bhadaur MLA Labh Singh Ugoke visited the hospital to enquire about Amandeep's condition and said he had spoken to the Barnala SSP and police officials and was confident the accused would be arrested soon.

What happens next

Police raids to trace the four named accused are continuing, and the case being registered on the family's statements will set out the formal charges. Whether arrests follow within the 24 hours the Congress MLA has set as his protest deadline is the immediate test, in a village where a panchayat-backed committee formed only 15-20 days ago to make Kaleke drug-free has now seen one of its members shot at home.