A recently created pro-Khalistan outfit called the Sher-e-Punjab Brigade claimed on Monday that it was behind the killing of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader’s son in Ferozepur, according to The Times of India. Khalistan refers to a separate Sikh homeland sought by certain groups.
Naveen Arora, the son of RSS functionary Baldev Raj Arora, was fatally shot around 7 pm on Saturday by two unidentified men on a motorcycle while he was returning home from his shop, Scroll.in reported.
The assailants allegedly fired at him from close range near the Baba Noor Shah Wali dargah. He was taken to a private hospital, where doctors said he was already dead on arrival.
On Monday, the Sher-e-Punjab Brigade accused the RSS of attempting to assimilate Sikhs into Hinduism in Punjab, the newspaper reported. A letter issued in the name of Paramjit Singh and signed by spokesperson Bahadur Singh Sandhu said the group had been formed to work for Khalistan’s “freedom.”
The same letter warned that members of the RSS, the Shiv Sena, and personnel from the police and the military could be targeted in the future, The Indian Express reported.
Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police Sidhu urged residents not to respond to rumours circulating online, saying that police teams were actively investigating and expected to arrest the culprits soon.
A Punjab Police officer told The Indian Express that the letter’s authenticity had not yet been confirmed. Another intelligence official said technical data would be examined to determine who is actually behind the newly announced group. Police have not yet established a motive for the killing.