Chandigarh, March 6 A village headman was shot dead by four to five assailants in broad daylight in Punjab's Moga district on Friday, police said.
Harpinder Singh, the headman of Patto Hira Singh village, was attacked on the Baghapurana-Kotkapura road, allegedly due to a personal dispute, police said.
Singh had gone to his gym and when he stepped out of his car, the assailants, who were in an SUV, fired 10-12 rounds at him. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died, they said.
Moga Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Gandhi, who visited the spot, said that personal rivalry appeared to be the reason behind the killing and ruled out the involvement of any gangster.
Those behind the firing have been identified. Further investigation is underway, he said.
"We have gathered some clues. All our teams are on the job, and the accused will be apprehended soon," the SSP said.
This is the third such killing in the last two months in Punjab.
On January 4, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch Jharmal Singh of Valtoha village in Amritsar district was shot dead at a wedding.
On February 18, AAP sarpanch Harbarinder Singh of Thathian Mehta village was gunned down by two unidentified assailants at a wedding in Tarn Taran district. The Lakhbir Singh Landa gang had claimed responsibility for the killing in an unverified social media post.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia attacked the ruling AAP over the killing, alleging that it has exposed the gap between the government's claims about law and order in the state and the ground reality.
He claimed the state machinery has failed to protect elected representatives.