ASI shot dead in Tarn Taran in fifth targeted attack on Punjab cops this year

The identity of the assailants and the motive behind the killing were not immediately known, the police said.

Senior police officials, including Tarn Taran SSP Surinder Lamba, reached the spot and launched an investigation.

On the night of September 17-18, ASI Harjit Singh was shot dead near the Bhagtanwala grain market in Amritsar while on PCR duty. In May, ASI Joga Singh was killed in Majitha. Two policemen were also killed in Dorangla in Gurdaspur district.

In another incident, ASI Jaswant Singh was shot at in Rajasansi on September 12 but survived. On the night of October 4-5, ASI Sukhchain Singh of the Government Railway Police sustained a gunshot injury to his left arm near Jagdev Khurd in Ajnala.

The latest killing is likely to raise further concerns over the safety of police personnel, particularly those travelling outside their workplaces or performing field duties.