Amritsar:
A 27-year-old man was shot dead outside his home in Amritsar's Anand Avenue area on Friday night following an argument over moving a Honda Activa scooter parked in the lane. Police have registered a murder case against three brothers from the same neighbourhood, who the victim's father said were his friends.
The victim, Amit Sabharwal, worked in marketing with a private company. The accused have been identified as Abhi Shah, Sunny Shah and Ritik Shah. The Gate Hakima police have registered a murder case against the three brothers. Police said footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area is being examined, and raids are being conducted to arrest the accused.
Amit's father said his son was "shot by his own friends". Amit had no enmity with anyone, and the altercation began over the Activa, he said.
Amit had returned home late at night after partying with friends when an argument broke out with the accused over moving the scooter parked in the lane, according to the account of the incident. As the argument escalated, Abhi Shah allegedly opened fire with a country-made pistol.
The incident took place around 11:30 pm, when six rounds were fired at Amit right outside their home, the father said. Two bullets hit him in the head, while one each struck his waist and leg, he said.
Family members inside the house heard what sounded like firecrackers and rushed out to find Amit lying in a pool of blood. They took him to a hospital, but he died on the way.
BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu saw the incident as a reflection of the AAP government's failure on law and order. "As the state's Home Minister, when will Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann take responsibility for this rampant bloodshed? Stop the hollow claims and PR gimmicks -- prioritise safeguarding the lives of the people of Punjab," he wrote on X.
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"When citizens are not safe even outside their own doorsteps, it exposes the absolute failure of the administration. The culprits must be arrested without delay and given exemplary punishment," he added.
The government had not yet reacted.
The murder comes barely three weeks after Madhusudan 'Mad' Sandhu, a prominent 29-year-old queer Punjabi makeup artist and social media influencer, was shot dead in broad daylight on October 3 in Amritsar. The pre-planned attack took place around 6 pm on Loharka Road, where two motorcycle-borne assailants tracked Sandhu and fired multiple rounds at close range while he was waiting at a local car wash near his salon. He died en route to a hospital.
In the days following the murder, a Facebook account linked to the 'Goldy Dhillon gang' claimed responsibility, and police in Gujarat tracked down and arrested the alleged shooter, Parminder Kaka, and multiple accomplices who had fled to that state.
Punjab has witnessed an escalation in targeted killings in October, fuelling public outrage and political clashes over the state's law-and-order situation.
Among the most prominent cases is the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead inside a medical store in Mansa during a live Facebook broadcast after confronting the owner over the illegal sale of addictive medicines. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has since formally taken over the case.
This was closely followed by the hacking of 40-year-old Bikramjit Singh in Batala, an attack locals allege was also retaliation for standing up against drug peddlers.