A police constable was killed while two others sustained injuries when a group of 'Nihangs' opened fire at them in Punjab's Kapurthala district, officials said on Thursday, November 23, 2023.
The incident took place when the policemen went to arrest some Nihangs (Sikhs armed with traditional weapons) in Sultanpur Lodhi in a case registered against them, said a senior police official over the phone.
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The policemen were standing on the road when the Nihangs opened fire at them, Kapurthala Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Tejbir Singh Hundal told PTI.
While one constable was killed, two other personnel sustained injuries, said the official.
Senior officials have rushed to the site and police personnel in large numbers have been deployed in the area, they said.
Nihangs or Nihang Singhs, originally known as Akalis or Akali Nihangs, are designated the Guru’s knights or the Guru’s beloved, and their origin is associated with the founding of the ‘Khalsa Panth’ by the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. They are always armed and are usually seen mounted heavily laden with weapons such as swords, daggers, spears, rifles, shotguns and pistols.
