Who was Sudhir Suri, controversial Hindutva right-wing leader, gunned down in Punjab?

Sudhir Suri, a Hindutva right-wing leader, was shot dead in a busy street in Punjab’s Amritsar today (4 November). The incident occurred outside Gopal Mandir on Majitha Road — one of the busiest places in the city — when Suri and some other members of Shiv Sena (Taksali) were holding a protest.

The dharna was against the temple authorities after some broken idols were allegedly found in the garbage outside the temple premises, as per India Today.

The police said over five gunshots were fired, allegedly by a local shopkeeper. at Suri following which he fell to the ground, NDTV reported. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.

As per BBC, despite the police protection accorded to Suri, the assailants were able to land at least two shots that proved fatal for the controversial leader.

The accused, identified as Sandeep Singh, has been arrested and the weapon has been seized, the Punjab Police said.

Sudhir Suri was on a sit-in protest over a dispute of Gopal Mandir management. The assailant has a garment shop there. He fired bullets from his licensed .32 bore-revolver, some of which hit Suri and he was taken to hospital immediately: Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav pic.twitter.com/8K7atPZY2E

— ANI (@ANI) November 4, 2022

Who was Sudhir Suri? Why the Punjab government has come under fire over the incident? Let’s take a look.

Who was Sudhir Suri?

Sudhir Suri was the president of Shiv Sena (Taksali) who was arrested several times and even imprisoned for some time.

The self-styled leader in Punjab had at least six cases – mostly for hurting religious sentiments and making casteist remarks – lodged against him despite which he enjoyed state-provided security cover.

He was known for his allegedly communal video messages on social media attacking some Sikh outfits and mainly Khalistan supporters, as per NDTV.

Suri was arrested in November 2017 for “hurting public sentiments and attempting to promote enmity between Hindus and Sikhs”.

As per the Punjab Police, Suri had uploaded an objectionable video from his accomplice Hardeep Sharma alias Happy’s Facebook account. Sharma was also nabbed in the case.

“They had hurt religious sentiments. Such act by anyone cannot be tolerated in the interest of Punjab,” Amrik Singh Powar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

In 2021, he was again booked for allegedly making indecent remarks against the Sikh Gurus.

As per the complainant, Suri had also targeted prominent Sikh personalities and was trying to disturb peace in Punjab, The Tribune reported.

Indian Express had reported in 2020 that 15 Punjab Police personnel were deployed for Suri’s security.

“He has been given eight gunmen, five constables and two drivers. He has been given only one police pilot Gypsy. The security cover, however, is not enough. We have filed a writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking central government security cover for Suri,” the Sena leader’s spokesperson Ranjit Singh had told the newspaper then.

NDTV reports that Punjab has many Hindutva outfits that use the name ‘Shiv Sena’, however, they officially do not have any connection with the Maharashtra-based party founded by Bal Thackeray.

Killed within hours of posting Facebook video

Suri had gone live on Facebook barely an hour before he was gunned down, where he showed some older idols “shamelessly dumped in garbage”.

“We will not tolerate such sacrilege, even if by fellow Hindus,” he said in the video, as per NDTV.

He had apparently engaged in a verbal spat with some men from the management of Gopal Mandir over the alleged desecration of Hindu idols.

According to the police, Suri was on the hit list of several gangsters and had been provided with a security detail of around eight Punjab Police personnel, Times of India reported.

Opposition slams AAP government

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state, saying: “The law and order situation has completely broken down in the state.”

Reacting to the killing, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh ‘Raja’ Warring tweeted: “Law and order is deteriorating and going from bad to worse. Congress condemns murderous attack on Shiv Sena leader in Amritsar. Political differences apart, violence is unacceptable. Culprits must be brought to book.”

BJP leader and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh urged people to maintain peace. “Strongly condemn brutal murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar today. I appeal everyone to maintain peace & harmony & fight enemies of Punjab together. While it reflects poorly on law and order situation in Punjab, I hope culprits are given exemplary punishment,” he tweeted.

Strongly condemn brutal murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar today. I appeal everyone to maintain peace & harmony & fight enemies of Punjab together.

While it reflects poorly on law and order situation in Punjab, I hope culprits are given exemplary punishment.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 4, 2022

Recent violence in Punjab

Suri’s murder comes in the wake of another high-profile killing – singer Sidhu Moose Wala– in the state.

Punjabi rapper Moose Wala was shot dead on 29 May after his car was attacked by unidentified gunmen. His death sparked outrage and fans across the world had mourned his demise.

Bhagwant Mann’s AAP government had come under fire as his security was reduced from four personnel to two just days before his murder. However, Punjab Police said the singer was not accompanied by even those two commandos when he was killed to what they said was a result of “gang rivalry”.

A number of attacks on right-wing leaders were also reported in Punjab in 2016 and 2017.

In June 2017, Christian pastor Sultan Masih was killed in a gunfire, and in October of the same year, 60-year-old Ludhiana RSS leader Ravinder Gosain was shot dead.

A leader of an outfit called Sri Hindu Takht was killed by two motorcycle-borne men near Jagraon Bridge in Ludhiana in January 2017.

The other killings include of Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Ludhiana and RSS leader Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja (Retd) in Jalandhar.

With inputs from agencies

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