Punjab mourns ASI Harjit Singh, CM pledges ₹2 crore support for his family

Late on the evening of September 17, a routine patrol turned tragic in the Hakima area of Amritsar when unidentified gunmen opened fire on Assistant Sub‑Inspector Harjit Singh. The officer, who had been serving the Punjab Police for several years, succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his grief, writing that the force stands “firmly with the bereaved family in their hour of grief.” He also confirmed that the state will give the fallen officer a full police honour guard.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, reacting within hours, announced an ex‑gratia amount of ₹1 crore for the family. In addition, HDFC Bank – the insurer for many police personnel – will release a further ₹1 crore as a life‑insurance payout. In total, the grieving relatives can expect ₹2 crore to help them cope with the sudden loss.

“Our brave police officer, ASI Harjit Singh of district Amritsar, has laid down his life in the line of duty,” the DGP wrote. “May his soul rest in peace.” The post was accompanied by a muted photograph of the officer in uniform, a reminder of the human cost behind headlines.

The killing has quickly become a flashpoint in Punjab’s already fraught law‑and‑order debate. Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh voiced his sorrow, but also used the incident to accuse the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of “continuous attempts to demoralise the Punjab Police.” He recalled a spate of attacks – grenade explosions at 22 police stations, a rocket‑launcher strike on the Punjab Police headquarters, and even a blast at the BJP state office – pointing to an “atmosphere of fear” that, in his view, the state has failed to curb.

Chugh went on to claim that many of these assaults are filmed and posted online, while the ruling party, he alleged, “denies” their occurrence. He warned that if police stations themselves cannot guarantee safety, ordinary citizens will also feel insecure.

Amid the political back‑and‑forth, the BJP announced the launch of a “Punjab Drug‑Free” yatra, a series of four road‑shows aimed at tackling narcotics, gangsterism and the broader sense of insecurity. The first leg will start from Pathankot, followed by routes through Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka and Bathinda, with senior party figures like Rekha Gupta and Shivraj Singh Chouhan slated to lead the caravans.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also been quoted saying that the government is committed to ridding Punjab of drugs and crime within the next three years. Whether these promises translate into concrete change, however, remains a question that the people of Punjab – and the families of officers like Harjit Singh – will watch closely.

For now, the immediate focus is on giving the fallen officer a dignified farewell and supporting his loved ones. The Punjab Police has pledged to investigate the shooting thoroughly, and the state administration has urged anyone with information to come forward.