Congress MP from Gurdaspur Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, highlighting conflicting accounts surrounding the alleged encounter of 19-year-old Ranjit Singh. Randhawa also sought immediate central intervention and an independent investigation by either the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the February 23 killing of two Punjab Police personnel at the Adhian check-post, citing a “credibility deficit of the state police.”
Ranjit, a resident of Adhian village, was one of the three accused in the murder of two policemen in Gurdaspur, who were found shot dead at a checkpoint near the border with Pakistan. On Wednesday, Ranjit was shot dead in an exchange of fire with the police.
In his demi-official (DO) letter, written a day after the Punjab Police claimed to have solved the case through the encounter killing of one of the accused and arrest of another, Randhawa described the incident as a “serious blot on national security” and a “comprehensive breakdown of border management and the state’s ‘second line of defence’”.
This is Randhawa’s second DO communication on the issue.
The bodies of Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurnam Singh and Home Guard Ashok Kumar were found inside the check-post, about 2 km from the International Border. The Punjab Police attributed the killings to an ISI-linked plot executed for Rs 20,000 by local men, with some Pakistan-linked outfits claiming responsibility on social media and a video of the shooting surfacing.
Randhawa noted the timing of the attack, occurring amid heightened national vigilance following Operation Sindoor, India’s 2025 military response to the Pahalgam terror attack. He expressed distress over what he called a “muted and inadequate response at the Central level” and “immature handling” by the Punjab Government, which he said has generated “avoidable confusion and deepened mistrust” among border communities.
‘Truth is pursued without fear or favour’
A key concern Randhawa raised in his letter was the police handling of the suspects. The Punjab Police claimed Ranjit was killed in an “encounter” near Puranashala on the Gurdaspur-Mukerian road, while another was arrested. However, Ranjit’s mother publicly stated that he had been picked up from their home earlier for questioning.
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The Congress leader highlighted the “sharply conflicting public versions”, stating they have created a “credibility deficit that the State police, acting alone, will find difficult to overcome”. “In matters with potential national security dimensions, the appearance of procedural opacity can be as damaging as the reality,” he wrote.
Randhawa made four specific requests to Shah, including immediate transfer of the investigation to NIA or CBI “so that the truth is pursued without fear or favour” and public confidence is restored, given the cross-border linkages. He also sought a time-bound, independent review of the entire custody and encounter sequence, including apprehension, movement, supervision, medical and forensic trail, and compliance with legal safeguards.
The Gurdaspur MP asked for necessary intelligence and investigative support from Central agencies to probe terrorist handler angles, overground facilitation, financing, and communications trails — domestic or trans-border. He also asked for a senior-level security review in the Gurdaspur border belt, involving Central and state formations, to rebuild confidence among personnel and citizens.
He emphasised that his appeal was in the “spirit of constitutional responsibility and cooperative federalism” and “not a matter of partisan advantage”. He warned that if credible central intervention is not initiated promptly, residents of Adhian and adjoining villages are contemplating approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court for judicial directions. He also sought an early personal hearing to share ground-level concerns in confidence.
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The letter comes amid growing Opposition criticism, with leaders from the SAD and other parties visiting Ranjit’s family and demanding a CBI probe into what they allege was a “fake encounter”.
The development has intensified scrutiny on security lapses in Punjab’s border districts, where infiltration, narcotics trafficking, and drones remain persistent challenges. As of now, the Union Home Ministry has not issued a public response to the representation.
