Punjab Police set up team to probe attack on RSS leader

A special investigation team (SIT) was set up to probe the attack on a senior Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader and former senior Army official in Punjab's Jalandhar city late on Saturday.

Punjab RSS vice-president Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retired) was critically injured after being shot at near the busy Jyoti Chowk in Jalandhar, about 150 km from here.

Gagneja was rushed to a hospital with three bullet injuries. Doctors on Sunday said two bullets were removed from his body and that he was stable.

The right-wing leader and his wife were in his car and was shot at by two masked assailants as he got out of the vehicle.

The assailants fled from the spot after firing. They also fired in the air to scare people.

Condemning the attack, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal directed the police to track down the attackers. He said the attack was aimed at disturbing the communal harmony in the state.

The police is strengthening security around offices of right-wing organisations in Punjab. Some leaders of the RSS and Shiv Sena have already been provided security.

Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad Gupta was shot dead in Punjab's Khanna town, 75 km from here, in April this year. Gupta, who was provided security by the police, was alone when the attack occurred.

In two separate incidents, unidentified persons fired shots at Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activists in Ludhiana city earlier this year.

Shiv Sena leader Harinder Soni was shot at by unidentified assailants while he was on a walk in Gurdaspur town in April last year.

--IANS

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