AAP leader shot dead in Punjab's Jalandhar; opposition slams law and order collapse under Mann
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Aam Aadmi Party leader Lucky Oberoi was shot dead by an unidentified assailant outside a gurdwara in Jalandhar's Model Town on Friday, police said.
The incident took place around 7:30 am, when the 43-year-old was leaving the gurdwara in his SUV.
CCTV footage showed when Oberoi came out of the gurdwara and sat in his vehicle, an assailant wearing a black-coloured hoodie approached him on foot and opened indiscriminate fire, and fled along with his accomplice, who was waiting for him at a short distance on a scooter.
Oberoi was hit with multiple shots, and was rushed to a hospital in an unconscious state. He succumbed to the bullet injuries, ACP Jalandhar, Parminder Singh, said over the phone. In the firing incident, the window panes of Oberoi's SUV and another vehicle parked in the area were shattered.
Satwinderpal Singh alias Lucky Oberoi was a Jalandhar-based AAP leader, in charge of a ward in Jalandhar Cantt.
The assailants may have carried out a recce of Oberoi's movements, police sources said.
Further investigations are underway, police said, adding that CCTV footage is being scanned to trace the assailants.
A case has been registered in connection with the incident. Various angles in the case are being examined, including the personal enmity angle, they said.
A doctor at a private hospital where Oberoi was admitted told reporters that he was brought in around 8:10 am.
"He was unconscious, and his blood pressure was unrecordable. Eight to nine rounds were fired at him, and one of the bullets pierced through his chest," the doctor said.
Despite best efforts, Oberoi could not be saved, the doctor added.
When contacted over the phone, AAP's Doaba in-charge Tarandeep Singh Sunny said, "The 43-year-old is survived by his wife, who had last year contested the civic elections, two daughters, and a son."
Oberoi was a very active leader, he said.
Opposition parties hit out at the Bhagwant Mann-led dispensation over the incident, alleging the collapse of law and order in the state under AAP rule.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, in a post on X, said, "The shocking daylight murder of @AAPPunjab leader Lucky Oberoi outside a gurdwara in Jalandhar, exposes the grim reality: if even ruling party leaders aren't safe, what hope remains for ordinary citizens?"
"Punjab today is gripped by fear, gang violence, and administrative paralysis, while the AAP government remains busy with PR and excuses. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann must answer: who is responsible for this complete breakdown?" Bajwa said in his post.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a post on X, alleged "Punjab is bleeding under Aam Aadmi Party's 'zero fear' govt!"
"Even AAP leaders are not safe in their own govt! The daylight murder of @AAPPunjab leader Lucky Oberoi outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar today morning exemplifies this fact. Nearly 25 murders in January 2026 alone, after 9 in the first week of the year. They are happening everywhere, be it a court complex, busy bazaar, wedding venue, or even outside a Gurdwara Sahib," he said.
SAD senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia and Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the incident.
"This has become a new norm in Punjab. Kill anyone anywhere as per whims and fancies. Shame on you, @BhagwantMann. You and your @DGPPunjabPolice have completely destroyed Punjab. Total collapse of Law and Order and still you are not ready to admit it," Majithia said in a post on X.
Congress's Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said nobody is safe under AAP rule in Punjab. "This is what we have been warning time and again. AAP has pushed Punjab into Jungle Raj," he said.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh also hit out at the Mann government, saying that the brutal daylight killing of AAP leader is not just a murder; it is a chilling reminder that Punjab is slipping into complete lawlessness.
"When leaders of the ruling party themselves are being gunned down in public places, it exposes the utter collapse of governance and the dangerous rise of gangster raj across the state. If those in power are not safe, what protection remains for the common people of Punjab?" Chugh said in a post on X.
Chugh said that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal promised to eradicate criminals and miscreants from Punjab, "but instead it has pushed the state deeper into fear, drugs, organised crime, and administrative paralysis. The Mann government appears more interested in political optics and PR than in protecting lives."
"My Punjab, once known for its courage and prosperity, is now being pushed towards anarchy due to sheer incompetence and lack of leadership. The people of Punjab deserve security, dignity, and a government that can actually govern," Chugh said.
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Extensive efforts made to expand medical education infrastructure, Lok Sabha told
New Delhi (PTI): The Union government has made concerted efforts to expand medical college infrastructure under various centrally-sponsored schemes over the past decade to make medical education more affordable, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav told the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district and referral hospitals with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing government or private medical college, Jadhav said in a written reply.
A total of 157 medical colleges have been approved across districts. Further, support has also been provided for upgrade of existing state and central government medical colleges to increase the number of MBBS (undergraduate) and postgraduate (PG) seats under another CSS scheme.
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Under these schemes, an additional 4,977 MBBS seats and 8,058 PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country, Jadhav said.
According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), the number of medical colleges have increased by 111.36 per cent, from 387 in 2013-14 to 818 at present, he stated.
Further, the Lok Sabha was informed that MBBS seats have increased by 151.18 per cent, from 51,348 before 2013-14 to 128,976 at present, while PG seats have increased by 172.63 per cent, from 31,185 before 2014 to 85,020 currently, thereby contributing to improved accessibility to medical education.
The fee structure for MBBS courses differs from state to state in government and private medical colleges as per guidelines issued by state fee regulatory authorities. Further, the government continuously endeavours to make medical education more affordable and prevent commercialisation, Jadhav said.
In order to make medical education affordable and accessible in the country, the fee structure of government medical colleges is subsidised. In accordance with the provision of the Constitution (103rd Amendment Act, 2019), there is a reservation of 10 per cent in UG and PG medical seats for economically weaker sections.
Also, guidelines have been framed under Section 10 of National Medical Commission Act, 2019, for determination of fees and other charges in respect of 50 per cent of seats in private medical institutions and deemed to be universities which were issued by NMC on February 3, 2022.
However, the guidelines have been challenged in various courts and are sub judice, the reply read.
