In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves through Punjab, a prominent kabaddi player and promoter was brutally shot dead in front of hundreds of spectators during a tournament in Mohali on Monday evening. The brazen attack has triggered widespread panic and raised serious questions about the state of law and order in the region.
The Brazen Attack at the Kabaddi Cup
The victim, identified as Kanwar Digvijay Singh, alias Rana Balachauria, aged 30, was a well-known figure in the kabaddi circuit. Tragically, he had been married just ten days prior to the attack. The incident occurred at the Sohana Kabaddi Cup being held at the Sector 82 sports ground in Mohali.
According to Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Harmandeep Singh Hans, two assailants arrived on a motorcycle and cleverly approached Balachauria under the guise of wanting to take selfies with him. Being a familiar face, Balachauria was accustomed to such requests and suspected nothing amiss.
At point-blank range, the duo drew pistols and opened fire, hitting Balachauria multiple times as horrified spectators, players, and organizers watched in disbelief. As the crowd of approximately 500-600 people scattered in panic, the gunmen fired several more shots into the air to facilitate their escape on the motorcycle.
Balachauria collapsed on the ground. He was rushed to a private hospital by police, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. Police forensic teams later recovered four to five empty shells of .32 calibre from the blood-soaked site. Preliminary investigations suggest six to seven rounds were fired in total.
Gang Claims Responsibility, Links to Moosewala Murder
Minutes after the murder, a rival gang took to social media to claim responsibility, boasting that the killing was an act of revenge for the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. The post, which police have confirmed, specifically named the shooters as 'Makkhan Amritsar and Defaulter Karne'.
The social media statement, attributed to the Chaudhary-Shaganpreet gang, read, "Today, at the Mohali Sohana Sahib Kabaddi Cup, Rana Balachauria was murdered and we take responsibility for it." The gang alleged that Balachauria was associated with their rivals, Jaggu Khoti and Lawrence Bishnoi, and had sheltered Sidhu Moosewala's killer while being involved himself. "Today, by eliminating Rana, we avenged our brother Moosewala," the post declared.
SSP Hans stated that teams from the crime branch and local police have launched a massive manhunt in multiple directions. CCTV footage from the area is being meticulously analysed to identify and track down the perpetrators.
Political Fallout and Law & Order Concerns
The public execution-style murder in a crowded sports arena has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who have slammed the Bhagwant Mann-led state government over a "collapsing" law and order situation.
Gurdaspur MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa stated, "It exposes a serious failure of law and order in Punjab. When criminals act so brazenly, public safety is clearly at risk. The Bhagwant Mann government must act immediately."
Echoing similar sentiments, Phagwara MLA and former IAS officer Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal said, "Enough is enough. Another sporting event in Punjab has been scarred by gun violence. The Mohali shooting is a glaring indictment of the state's collapsing law and order. When criminals can openly fire weapons at public events, how are ordinary citizens supposed to feel safe?"
Eyewitnesses at the venue described scenes of utter chaos and terror following the gunshots. One witness recounted, "There was panic and chaos everywhere. People were running and screaming. We could not understand what happened at first, and then pandemonium broke out." The incident has left the local sports community and residents in a state of fear and uncertainty.
