After firing victim Ajay Kumar succumbed to his injuries in Ludhiana on Monday, his family members and local residents staged a protest at the Civil Hospital in Abohar on Tuesday, demanding action against all those allegedly involved in his killing. They sat on dharna.Ajay’s brother, Akashdeep alias Bhalu, a BJP activist, alleged that the police had failed to take adequate action in the case, triggering resentment among the family members and residents. The family warned that they would not allow the post-mortem examination to be conducted until justice was delivered.Fazilka SSP Gagan Ajit Singh reached the protest site and tried to pacify the protesters. They assured the family that stern action would be taken against those responsible for Ajay’s death. Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar also joined the family members in the protest.Ajay sustained a bullet injury to his abdomen when unidentified assailants, who arrived on foot, opened fire on him outside the Bhagwan Valmiki Temple in Sant Nagar on September 27. He had come out of the temple after attending a meeting convened to discuss the construction of a shed when the incident occurred. He was shifted to Ludhiana in a critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday.On September 28, a CIA staff team intercepted three suspects riding a motorcycle near Killianwali village. During a subsequent chase and exchange of fire, Gautam Dhatarwal, a resident of Lalgarh in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district, allegedly involved in the shooting, sustained a bullet injury to his right leg and was apprehended. Two of his alleged accomplices reportedly escaped under the cover of darkness.Dhatarwal, along with Sagar Nepali, Vishal Pachar and another unidentified person, was booked under Sections 109, 132, 221 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act. The family has been demanding the arrest of the remaining accused.In a post on X, former Punjab BJP president Jattvibeil Jakhar expressed grief over Ajay’s death, saying it was the second devastating blow to the family. He said drug peddlers had allegedly murdered another member of the same family a few years ago and now Ajay had now been shot dead.Jakhar alleged that Ajay’s death was not an isolated incident in Punjab and claimed that raising one’s voice against drug peddlers had become a crime in the state. He also accused the ruling AAP government of allegedly providing protection to drug traffickers.