Former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) district council member Dalveer Singh, popularly known as Kala Jawanda, was shot and critically injured by unidentified gunmen in Bareta town of Mansa district, police said on Tuesday.
The shooting took place late Monday evening when two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at Singh as he was driving home from his commission agent shop. The Akali leader sustained a bullet wound to his abdomen and was initially rushed to the civil hospital in Budhlada, from where he was referred to a facility in Ludhiana owing to his critical state.
CCTV footage recovered by investigators revealed that the suspects had conducted a recce of Singh’s shop earlier in the day before ambushing his vehicle in the evening. Budhlada Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sikandar Singh said a formal case has been registered and police teams are scanning the footage to track down the shooters.
“We have clear leads from the security cameras showing two riders carrying out the attack. The investigation is moving quickly, and we expect to make arrests very soon,” DSP Singh said.
The attack has triggered a major political storm, with senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia launching a scathing attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the deteriorating security situation in the state. Majithia linked the shooting to recent violent incidents across Punjab, including grenade blasts at police stations and open firings in Amritsar and Faridkot.
Expressing concern over the safety of ordinary citizens, Majithia accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of ignoring his administrative responsibilities to serve his political bosses in Delhi.
👉 1. Mansa: Senior Akali leader Kala Jabandha was shot at his shop in Bareta. He sustained a bullet injury to the abdomen and is in critical condition. He was admitted to a hospital and later referred to Ludhiana. The attackers, unidentified youths, opened fire and fled the… pic.twitter.com/QJ6x2Wm41r
— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) July 14, 2026
“The truth is that Punjab has no jobs, no security, and no justice. We only see rising debt, contract killings, and public relations campaigns. If the Chief Minister has any courage left, he must ensure the attackers are arrested within 24 hours, or he should step down,” Majithia said.