PTI
Chandigarh
A day after two police personnel were found shot dead at a check-post in Gurdaspur near the Indo-Pak border, a Pakistan-based gangster posted on social media a purported video showing an unidentified shooter firing at one of the cops at point-blank range.
The same unverified video, posted by gangster Shahzad Bhatti, was also shared by an outfit calling itself Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan, which had claimed responsibility for the killings on Sunday.
Asked about the video, a senior police officer said that they are probing all angles.
On whether it was a terror act or linked to Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla told reporters, “We are deeply investigating the matter. Very soon we will share the results with you.” “For us, it is a challenging case… All angles are being probed.”
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who has come under fresh attack from the opposition over the incident, announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 crore each for the kin of two police personnel. Asked about the case, he said the investigation was underway.
In the unverified video, the shooter holding a weapon could be seen firing at Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurnam Singh.
The bodies of ASI Singh and Home Guard Ashok Kumar, who were posted at Adhian, about 2 km from the international border, were found inside the checkpost on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters in Amritsar, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla called the death of cops an unfortunate incident and said senior officers were camping in Gurdaspur for the investigation.
Asked about the purported video shared by gangster Shahzad Bhatti, Shukla said, “Not only this, we are also investigating other things. The clues that we have, we are investigating them. Whenever we get facts, we will share them with you.”
Replying to another question, Shukla said there is complete coordination with the Border Security Force. He said joint patrolling with the BSF was being conducted in the border areas.
In a post on X, CM Mann said, “Salute to the bravery and supreme sacrifice of martyrs ASI Gurnam Singh and PHG Ashok Kumar, who laid down their lives in the line of duty.” “The Punjab government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore each to their families, while the HDFC Bank will provide an additional insurance amount of Rs 1 crore each.”
“We stand strongly with our martyrs and their families. Their sacrifice inspires us all to perform our duties with honour and courage,” the chief minister added.
A forensic team visited the spot on Monday, a police officer said.
The killings came to light when the sarpanch of Adhian village, Kamaljeet Singh, visited the checkpost after being informed by the Dorangla SHO that both policemen were not answering their calls.
