ASI Shot Dead In Amritsar: Harjit Singh Was On PCR Duty; Was Brave Police Officer, Says DGP

ASI Shot Dead: ASI Harjit Singh was shot dead on PCR duty near Amritsar’s Bhagtanwala grain market, hours after a second shooting in the city. Majithia slams Mann govt; ₹2 crore announced for family.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 18

Amritsar recorded two fatal shootings within hours of each other on the night of September 17-18, one of them a serving Punjab Police officer gunned down while on duty — reviving questions about police safety in the district that has already lost two ASIs to targeted attacks this year.

The ASI killing

ASI Shot Dead: Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjit Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran, was shot dead in the early hours of Friday near the Bhagtanwala grain market, under the jurisdiction of the Gate Hakima police station. Harjit was deployed with the PCR (Police Control Room) when two unidentified youths riding a motorcycle allegedly opened fire on him around 3 am. He took three bullets and was rushed to a private hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

The second killing

Hours earlier, on Thursday night, a young man named Sahilpreet Singh, a resident of Harkrishan Nagar, was shot dead in the Surta Singh area under the Islamabad police station. Sahilpreet had stepped out for a walk after dinner when two men riding an Activa allegedly fired at him and fled the spot.

Police have not yet named suspects or a motive in either case; investigations are ongoing.

ASI Shot Dead: The political reaction

ASI Shot Dead: Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia was among the first to react, posting on X that “Guru Nagri Sri Amritsar bleeds under Guru Dokhi,” directing his criticism chiefly at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Majithia claimed three ASIs have now been murdered in the state, calling the Amritsar killings — including Harjit Singh’s — evidence that “if police are unsafe on duty, what safety is left for common Punjabis.”  

The government’s response

ASI Shot Dead: Both the Chief Minister and the Punjab DGP posted tributes to ASI Harjit Singh. CM Mann, in a Punjabi-language post, saluted Harjit Singh’s “bravery” in laying down his life on duty in Amritsar district, saying his courage and dedication would always be remembered, and that the state government stands “like a rock” with the bereaved family. As a mark of respect, the Punjab government announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹1 crore, with HDFC Bank providing an additional ₹1 crore insurance payout — a combined ₹2 crore for the family. Full police honours have been accorded to the slain officer.

DGP Punjab Police, in a separate post, called Harjit Singh a “brave police officer” who “laid down his life in the line of duty,” and said Punjab Police stands firmly with the family in their hour of grief.

The wider pattern

ASI Shot Dead: Majithia’s claim of “three ASIs murdered” is consistent with a run of targeted or violent killings of Punjab Police ASIs through 2026:

• February 23, 2026: ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard jawan Ashok Kumar were killed in an attack on the Adhian police checkpost in Gurdaspur district, near the international border. A subsequent probe found alleged ISI links to the attack, and the main conspirator, Ranjit Singh, was later killed in a police encounter.
• May 24, 2026: ASI Joga Singh was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near Hamja village, Majitha, Amritsar (rural), while on his way to duty in uniform. Police explored personal enmity and road rage angles.
• September 18, 2026 (this incident): ASI Harjit Singh shot dead near Bhagtanwala grain market, Amritsar.

Taken together, this is the second ASI shot dead in Amritsar district alone this year, and the third case of an ASI killed in the line of duty statewide — giving context to why the killing has become a flashpoint for opposition criticism of the AAP government’s law-and-order record, even as the state government has moved quickly with a large compensation package and honours for the officer.

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