Punjab: Home guard jawan killed, 4 cops injured after Nihangs open fire at gurdwara
Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala) (PTI): A home guard jawan was killed while four policemen suffered injuries when a group of Nihangs resorted to "unprovoked" firing at them in Punjab's Kapurthala early Thursday, officials said.
Five people were arrested in the incident, they said.
According to police, there was a dispute between two factions of Nihangs over the possession of Gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib here.
The incident took place when policemen tried to get the gurdwara vacated from a faction of Nihangs led by Baba Mann Singh.
Special Director General of Police Arpit Shukla said there was an "unprovoked" firing at the policemen after they reached here on Thursday morning.
Speaking to reporters in Kapurthala, Shukla said a murder case has been registered. "Five people have been arrested and weapons recovered," said Shukla, adding that further investigation was underway.
While policemen were standing on the road, some Nihangs opened fire at them, Kapurthala Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Tejbir Singh Hundal told PTI.
The Nihangs fired indiscriminately, said police.
Nihangs are a Sikh sect whose members are usually seen in blue robes and carrying some arms.
Additional Director General of Police G S Dhillon said one home guard jawan, identified as Jaspal Singh, was killed and four other cops were injured in the incident.
Police used tear gas shells to disperse Nihangs who also hurled stones at policemen from the gurdwara premises.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expressed grief over the death of the home guard and announced a compensation of Rs 2 crore for his family.
The incident occurred just a few days before the birth anniversary of first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev on November 27.
A group of 15-20 Nihangs owing allegiance to a faction led by Baba Mann Singh on Tuesday took control over the gurdwara and allegedly beat up two Nihangs of the other faction led by Baba Balbir Singh from Baba Budha Dal.
The group led by Baba Balbir Singh had been managing the gurdwara for thepast many years.
On Wednesday, some Nihangs of the Baba Mann Singh faction allegedly tried to take control over another dera of Baba Budha Dal in Bussowal village.
Thereafter, an FIR was registered in the matter and 10 Nihangs belonging to the Baba Mann Singh faction were arrested, said police.
Both the groups also had a clash in 2020 in which one Nihang was killed.
On Thursday morning, when a team of police went to the gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib to get the possession vacated from the Baba Mann Singh faction, some Nihangs opened fire at them in which the home guard was killed.
The bullet hit his head, said police.
Meanwhile, some Nihangs, while speaking to reporters, alleged that they were first attacked by police at around 4:30 am.
Senior officials, including Additional DGP Dhillon, DIG S Bhoopati, DIG Rajpal Singh and Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Karnail Singh rushed to the spot.
Later, they held talks with the Baba Mann Singh faction.
After a two-hour long meeting, the deputy commissioner said it has been agreed that the Baba Mann Singh faction will vacate the gurdwara.
Under section 145 (procedure where dispute concerning land or water is likely to cause breach of peace) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a receiver, who will be a government employee, will be appointed to manage the gurdwara, the deputy commissioner told reporters.
Both the factions will be heard for proving their claims over the gurdwara property, he said.
Additional DGP Dhillon said an action in the matter will be taken as per the law.
Two licensed weapons, which were used in firing, have been recovered by police, said Dhillon, adding that law and order would be maintained.
Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Vatsala Gupta said a case has been registered under various sections of the IPC in connection with the incident.
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
