Two days on, police yet to arrest killers of Akali leader

Police on Wednesday raided the possible hideouts of those involved in the murder of an Akali Dal leader in Punjab's Gurdaspur but failed to make any arrests.

Dalbir Singh Dhilwan (51), who was a two-time sarpanch and the current vice-president of the Gurdaspur unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal, was shot dead and his legs chopped off following an altercation on Monday evening.

"We are conducting raids at their (suspects) possible hideouts in Punjab," Batala Senior Superintendent of Police Opinderjit Singh Ghuman said on Wednesday evening.

Dalbir and his neighbour Balwinder Singh had earlier entered into a verbal spat over the hiring of a servant.

A compromise was reached between the two with the help of villagers on Monday.

But when Dalbir Singh and his son were taking a walk on the outskirts of Dhilwan village in the Dera Baba Nanak area on Monday evening, Balwinder Singh's two sons, Major Singh (25) and Mandeep Singh (24), allegedly waylaid him.

One of them allegedly pumped six bullets into Dalbir Singh.

Then Balwinder Singh allegedly chopped off the victim's legs with a sharp-edged weapon, police said.

Dalbir Singh was taken to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead, police said.

A case has been registered against nine people, including six unidentified, under Section 302 (murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, police said.

Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who on Wednesday visited the residence of the deceased, termed Dhilwan's killing a political murder.

"It is a political murder and the accused enjoyed the patronage of the ruling party," he told reporters.

The Batala SSP has already ruled out any political motive behind the killing.