KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
What began as a late-night outing for momos ended in a chilling murder that has once again exposed the brutal underbelly of Amritsar’s emerging gangster culture.
Twenty-two-year-old Kunal, a salon worker from Tungbali, was allegedly hunted down, shot dead and his body paraded on a scooter through the streets of Sharifpura in the early hours of Thursday, with the accused filming the gruesome act to send videos and photographs to the alleged mastermind of the attack.
Police said the murder appears to be linked to a gang rivalry involving youths associated with gangster Sukha Ambarsaria. Raids are underway to nab the main accused, identified as Vansh, while several suspects have already been detained for questioning.
According to the family, Kunal had left home around 8.30 pm on Wednesday, telling his father Pawan Kumar, an e-rickshaw driver, that he was stepping out to eat momos. When he did not return till late at night, his worried father called him around 10.30 pm.
Kunal reportedly told him he was playing volleyball at the Tungbali ground and would return in five minutes.
Investigators believe that shortly afterwards, Kunal was intercepted near a school in Rani Bazaar, Sharifpura, where a group of armed youths had allegedly been waiting for him.
Police sources said Kunal was first attacked with sharp-edged weapons and suffered deep injuries to his arm and shoulder before one of the assailants allegedly fired at him from close range. The bullet struck him in the chest, killing him on the spot.
What followed, police said, shocked even seasoned investigators.
Instead of fleeing immediately, the accused allegedly lifted Kunal’s bloodied body onto a scooter and drove through the area while another associate recorded videos of the act on a mobile phone. The footage, investigators suspect, was circulated among gang members as “proof” of the killing.
The murder came to light the next morning when police informed the family that a body had been recovered. Kunal’s father identified him at the mortuary.
The post-mortem examination confirmed gunshot injuries along with multiple deep cuts caused by sharp weapons.
During the investigation, police reportedly recovered photographs and social media material showing Kunal posing with weapons and with persons allegedly linked to gangster networks. Officials suspect social media posturing and rivalry between local gangs may have escalated tensions leading to the murder.
While some suspects have been rounded up, the alleged mastermind remains absconding.
The killing has triggered outrage in the city, with opposition leaders accusing the state government of failing to rein in gangster violence and lawlessness.
For the grieving family, however, the politics offers little solace.
Pawan Kumar’s only son had stepped out of his house for a quick bite and never returned. By dawn, his body had become the latest symbol of Punjab’s spiralling gang culture : a violent world of guns, social media bravado and revenge that continues to claim young lives.