A Jalandhar-based RTI activist was shot dead allegedly by his cousin at Maheru village in Phagwara on Saturday. His body was found with close-range gunshot wounds on the forehead.
The victim, Simranjeet Singh (43), learnt to have travelled from Jalandhar to Phagwara around 7.30 am in connection with some work when the incident took place.
The police recovered a .32-bore revolver loaded with five cartridges near the body, two mobile phones, a Toyota Fortuner bearing registration number PB-07-BH-0001 owned by the deceased and a 12-bore rifle from inside the vehicle.
Even as speculation mounted that Simranjeet may have been targeted because of revelations against political bigwigs made through his social media platforms, DIG (Jalandhar Range) Naveen Singla claimed the activist had been killed by his maternal cousin Sharanjit Singh.
He said “Simranjeet and Sharanjit had gone to see a plot at Maheru when a heated argument broke out over Rs 5 lakh that Simranjeet allegedly owed Sharanjit. In the heat of the moment, Sharanjit shot Simranjeet at point-blank range from behind. It was not a premeditated murder. There is no role of gangsters or any organised group in the murder.
“It is a case of personal enmity. We have substantial evidence in the form of tower locations, CCTV footage and the weapon recovered from the crime scene to corroborate the incident.”
According to the DIG, five friends of Sharanjit had accompanied him in a Swift car, but only Sharanjit fired the shots. Simranjeet was found dead at the same plot the duo had gone to inspect.
The police said while both the 12-bore rifle found in Simranjeet’s SUV and the .32-bore revolver recovered from the crime scene belonged to Simranjeet, but he did not fire any weapon during the altercation. Sharanjit was arrested from the Phagwara bypass in the evening.
Simranjeet had divorced his first wife and had remarried about two months ago. His body was initially shifted to Johal Hospital in Jalandhar and was later brought to the Civil Hospital, Phagwara, for post-mortem examination and other medico-legal formalities.
A case has been registered at Satnampura police station in Phagwara under Section 101 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 25 of the Arms Act and other relevant provisions.
The victim had earlier survived an attack by armed assailants outside a gym in Model Town, Jalandhar, a year ago. Following that incident, the Jalandhar Police had provided him with two gunmen, but he had reportedly travelled without security on Saturday.
For more than a decade, Simranjeet had filed petitions and complaints against several influential persons before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Police and the Enforcement Directorate. He is learnt to have provided certain documents to the ED relating to state minister Sanjeev Arora, who is currently lodged in jail.
Sources said the activist was known for targeting alleged land sharks, developers, hoteliers and builders through his RTI applications and legal petitions.
Simranjeet had also recently filed a petition challenging the implementation of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, and had met Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj during his recent visit to Jalandhar.
