Two policemen were gunned down at Adhian village under the Dorangla police station in Gurdaspur district near the international border on Sunday morning, with two Pakistan-linked outfits later claiming responsibility even as the police dismissed the assertions as unverified. The deceased were identified as ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard Ashok Kumar.According to preliminary findings, the two policemen appeared to have been shot dead while asleep, suggesting a targeted attack rather than a coordinated strike. DIG (Border) Sandeep Goel, Gurdaspur SSP Aditya and Dinanagar DSP Rajinder Manhas reached the spot. The SSP confirmed both died of gunshot wounds but declined to share further details. The area was sealed and converted into a cantonment. Later, DGP Gaurav Yadav also rushed to Gurdaspur.Meanwhile, posters purportedly issued by a little-known outfit calling itself Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan surfaced on social media by evening, claiming responsibility for the killings. Senior police officials said the group had no known presence in Punjab or elsewhere in India. “It is too early to say anything,” an officer said, adding that such claims could be diversionary tactics.Adhian village sarpanch said the Dorangla SHO called him around 8 am after both officials failed to respond to phone calls. “I reached the checkpost and saw their bodies lying in a pool of blood. Blood was still oozing from the jawan’s ear,” he said, adding that police arrived within minutes.The service weapons of both officials have been confiscated. Investigators are probing multiple angles, including personal enmity and possible cross-border links. Earlier rumours suggested an argument between the two or the involvement of a “carrier” engaged in collecting heroin consignments dropped by Pakistani drones.Adhian is considered an incident-prone area. Adopted by the BSF as a “vibrant village”, it remains vulnerable to cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons, especially after last year’s floods created gaps in border fencing. The Ravi, which changes course near the village before entering Pakistan, is often used by smugglers. Dorangla has also witnessed past militant activity, including routes linked to the 2016 Pathankot attack. The police said they were probing the incident from all angles.
