Amritsar, Nov 05: A day after Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri, 58, was shot dead outside a temple in Amritsar, a Facebook post on Saturday said Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa Harike, was behind the killing.

 

 

 

Suri, who was given Y-category security, was protesting outside Gopal Mandir in Amritsar when a garment shop owner, Sandeep Singh, 31, near the site, shot him five times with a .32-bore licensed weapon in the busy market on Friday.

 

 

 

The incident took place on Majitha Road in the presence of a police team, including an assistant police commissioner, who was trying to convince Suri to end the protest. Sandeep, who escaped unhurt in the retaliatory fire by Suri’s supporter, was later arrested. The Facebook post claimed that the murder was committed by “our brothers”. The post from an account with Landa’s photo also threatened to kill those “who speak against the kaum or any religion”. “By increasing security, they should not think that they are safe. Those brothers who we stand with will be supported till our last breath. It is just the beginning, taking rights is still pending,” the post read. “So far, we haven’t booked Landa in this case. We are verifying the Facebook post. It is not clear if it is fake or real,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP-investigation) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar. In a related development, a video clip showing Sandeep Singh and his son meeting radical outfit Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief Amritpal Singh also surfaced. Police sources said the video was shot on October 29 when Amritpal visited Amritsar. The DCP said: “The probe has found that the accused was self-motivated but we are probing everything connected to the murder.” A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team is in Amritsar, too, and is expected to question the accused besides visiting the incident spot. On Friday, Amritsar police commissioner Arun Pal Singh said that the preliminary probe revealed a dispute between two groups over the temple management and the incident took place following an argument between them. A controversial leader, Suri had pitted himself as a voice against “Sikh fundamentalists”. Two years ago, Punjab Police arrested Suri from Indore in Madhya Pradesh over an objectionable video clip allegedly denigrating women and inciting enmity between different groups, though he denied the allegations. Shops remained shut in Amritsar on Saturday as Hindu outfits gave a Punjab bandh call.

 

Also Read: Complete collapse of law an order in Punjab, Hindu leader gets shot in the presence of police 

 

Suri’s post-mortem will be conducted at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC) in Amritsar by a board of doctors. A heavy police force has been deployed at the hospital to ensure law and order. Hundreds of supporters of Suri reached outside the GMC post-mortem unit and protested against the police for failing to protect their leader. They also demanded strict action against the accused.