A new claim of responsibility has emerged in the firing incident involving GRP Assistant Sub-Inspector Sukhchain Singh in Amritsar. A purported press note issued in the name of Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH) claims responsibility for the attack and links it to “Operation Noor”. Police are investigating the case and examining the authenticity of the claim and the actual motive behind the firing.
The firing incident involving GRP ASI Sukhchain Singh took place on Sunday night in Jagdev Kalan village in Amritsar. Singh sustained a gunshot wound and was admitted to a hospital for treatment. Following the incident, police began investigating the case and examined different aspects to determine the motive behind the attack.
In the initial investigation, ASI Sukhchain Singh suspected that his sister-in-law, Gurpreet Kaur, had arranged the attack. Police registered a case against Gurpreet Kaur and unidentified persons in connection with the matter. The purported press note issued in the name of TTH has now added another aspect to the investigation.
A purported message in the name of TTH emerged on social media after the attack, in which the organisation claimed responsibility for the firing on the ASI. The message described the incident as an action carried out under “Operation Noor”.
However, a responsibility claim made in the name of any organisation cannot by itself be treated as final confirmation of the incident. Investigating agencies will have to establish who actually issued the message and whether the organisation claiming responsibility had any actual role in the attack. Similar claims of responsibility for attacks on police personnel have previously surfaced in Punjab in the name of TTH.
Police are investigating several questions related to the motive behind the attack and the identity of the attackers. The initial investigation is examining the family dispute angle, while the purported TTH claim has also introduced aspects related to security and alleged terror networks into the investigation.
Investigating agencies typically examine evidence from the crime scene, CCTV footage, mobile and digital activity, and contacts of suspects in such cases. These investigations will seek to establish whether the firing resulted from a personal dispute or whether an organised network was involved.
Messages claiming responsibility in the name of TTH have previously emerged following some attacks and killings of police personnel in Punjab. In September, TTH also claimed responsibility for the killing of ASI Harjit Singh in Amritsar. Punjab Police, however, rejected the terror attack angle in that case and continued its investigation.
Investigating agencies have continued to examine claims made in the name of TTH through technical and intelligence channels. Some reports have linked the network to criminal and terror networks based in Pakistan, but its involvement in any specific incident can only be established through the findings of the investigation.
The police investigation into the firing on ASI Sukhchain Singh is continuing. The significance of the purported TTH claim will become clear based on further investigation and technical evidence.
