AMRITSAR: Two Punjab Police personnel were found dead with bullet wounds inside a police checkpoint near the India-Pakistan border in Andiyan village of Gurdaspur district, officers familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The checkpoint is located near the Border Security Force post at Andiyan under Durangla police station limits, officers said. The deceased have been identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurnam Singh and Constable Ashok Kumar.
Senior Police Inspector of Gurdaspur Aditya said, “This morning, we learned that two people were injured in a firing incident. Our cordon team and forensic and technical teams visited the spot. We are investigating all angles of the case. The investigation is ongoing and is being handled carefully.”
Adhian Sarpanch Kamaljit Singh, who first saw the bodies at the checkpoint, said he received a phone call in the morning from the SHO of Dorangala police station, who informed him that personnel at the police station were not answering their phones and asked him to check.
He said that when he arrived at the settlement outpost around eight in the morning, he found the bodies of the two policemen lying inside the outpost, each of them suffering from gunshot wounds. The outpost had no doors. He added that he immediately reported the incident to the police and the police arrived there within a few minutes.
Describing the scene, the sarpanch said the ASI was found lying on his side with his hands in his pockets, and an electric heater lying nearby. There were clear signs of bleeding from his ear and near his eye. The second employee was found lying under a quilt with a gunshot wound to the head, the Sarpanch said.
The police have registered a case under relevant sections against unidentified persons, officers said.
There were rumors that the two policemen killed each other, but investigators said they had not yet confirmed the sequence of events.
Meanwhile, Gurdaspur Member of Parliament and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa expressed concern over the killing of two police personnel and demanded an independent probe by the Union Home Ministry to uncover the truth.
The congressman accused the police of describing what happened as a “mutual shootout.” According to a video clip from the scene, the two officers were either sitting or sleeping at the time of the accident. “More disturbing is the allegation that a gun was found behind the bed, making it virtually impossible that it was used in the shooting as alleged.”
“This is not just a contradiction, it is a fundamental contradiction,” Randhawa said. “If officers are not in a position to defend themselves, the shooting theory collapses. The truth must be told.”
The senior Congress leader appealed to the Union Home Ministry to take up the case immediately to ensure an independent, impartial and time-bound investigation.
The representative said that any attempt to obscure the facts or protect those responsible would severely harm public confidence in the administration.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia shared a video of the crime scene. “Although Punjab Police, as usual, is making various allegations regarding the death of these police personnel, a comprehensive and in-depth investigation is necessary to uncover the truth,” he said in a social media post.
“We demand an impartial investigation into the killing of these police personnel by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Home Minister Bhagwant Mann and the dedicated Director General of Police have failed to prevent such incidents that happen on a daily basis,” Majithia added.
