A bullet hit the bonnet of a Punjab Police SUV parked outside the residence of former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh in Pratap Nagar here on Wednesday night, though the incident came to light only on Thursday evening.
The incident assumes significance as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked at Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra, on Thursday.
Giani Raghbir Singh had pronounced ‘tankhah’, or religious punishment, on Sukhbir Badal in alleged sacrilege cases. This was the second reported attack on a senior SAD leader in two days.
Giani Raghbir Singh said the incident took place at around 11.04 pm on August 12. However, the family came to know about it only around 5 pm on August 13 when the driver was cleaning the vehicle and noticed the bullet mark. During examination, police recovered a .32-bore bullet from the vehicle.
The former Jathedar said the sound of the bullet hitting the vehicle was also captured on CCTV cameras installed near the house. The footage purportedly shows a youth arriving near the house on a scooter and later talking to someone over the phone at a nearby chowk. His identity and motive are yet to be ascertained.
He said the CCTV footage has been shared with senior police officers, including the DGP and the Commissioner of Police, for further investigation.
The former Jathedar said he had not received any direct threat or threatening phone call. However, he recalled that there had been instances in the past when attempts were allegedly made to hit his vehicle from the side or push it into a ditch. He said such incidents had not been taken seriously at the time.
He urged police to treat the latest incident seriously, pointing out that a stray bullet could have hit a passer-by or caused a fatality.
Police are examining the CCTV footage and other evidence to ascertain whether the firing was deliberate and to establish the identity and motive of the suspect.
The B-Division police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons and launched a probe.
A police official said the circumstances surrounding the firing were being probed and CCTV footage from the area was being examined to identify the person responsible. The sound of firing was also heard in the CCTV footage, he said.
Police also seized an empty cartridge from the spot. Investigators are examining whether the firing was targeted or resulted from an aerial shot.
Giani Raghbir Singh, who served as Jathedar of the Akal Takht, has been residing at his Pratap Nagar residence after retirement. Police personnel have been deployed for his security.
The firing outside his residence has raised questions over whether the incident was targeted. Police officials said further details would emerge after examination of the CCTV footage and other evidence collected from the spot.