States » NorthPosted at: Nov 10 2026 2:45PM


Wrestler shot dead in Kapurthala, Majithia says Punjab youth unsafe even on festival days

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Nov 10 (UNI) A 27-year-old wrestler was shot dead while bursting firecrackers outside his home in Punjab's Kapurthala district on Monday night, police said, prompting senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia to allege that young people are unsafe even on festival days under the Bhagwant Mann government.
The victim, identified as Mani, also known as Pehalwan, was shot in the chest in Mohalla Mehtabgarh at around 8 pm. His friends rushed him to hospital on a scooter, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Police said preliminary investigations suggested that Mani might not have been the intended target of the shooting and could have been struck by a bullet fired at someone else.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sheetal Singh said the suspects have been identified and several police teams are conducting raids to arrest them.
According to the initial police account, two youths allegedly opened fire in the locality while Mani was bursting firecrackers near his residence. Two shots were fired, one of which struck him in the chest.
Police recovered two spent cartridges from the scene and registered a case following a complaint from the victim's family.
Singh said investigators have not established any previous dispute between Mani and the suspected attackers. He indicated that the shooting appeared to have been directed at someone else and that Mani was hit accidentally.
The exact motive and circumstances of the firing would become clearer after the suspects were arrested and questioned, police said.
Mani, the son of Bagga Singh, was a local wrestler and a resident of Mohalla Mehtabgarh. He had married about six months ago and was the only brother of four sisters.
His death devastated the family, particularly his young wife, who had been married for only a few months.
A relative, Harjinder Kaur, said the family is struggling to come to terms with the killing.
"She had not even removed the red bridal bangles from her wrists, and they have taken away her husband," Kaur said.
The killing triggered a political reaction from Majithia, who questioned the Punjab government's security priorities and accused it of failing to protect ordinary citizens.
"A night of celebration turned into mourning in Kapurthala!" Majithia wrote on social media.
"This is the so-called colourful Punjab under Bhagwant Mann, where even young people are not safe on festival days," he said.
Majithia alleged that the government is more concerned about providing security to political leaders in Delhi than protecting the people of Punjab.
"The victim's father is inconsolable with grief, but the government appears indifferent to the bloodshed in Punjab," he said.
The SAD leader also questioned the police response, alleging that the authorities have confined themselves to investigating the incident while the victim's family was left grieving.
There was no immediate response from the Punjab government to Majithia's allegations.
The killing has also raised questions about the circumstances in which firearms are being used in a residential neighbourhood during celebrations.
Police are examining whether the firing was connected to an earlier dispute involving other individuals and whether Mani was an unintended victim.
Investigators said the motive and precise sequence of events would be established as the investigation progressed.
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Tags: #Wrestler shot dead in Kapurthala# Majithia says Punjab youth unsafe even on festival days
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