“Swarn Singh was a respected man in our village. It is unbelievable that he had enmity with anybody,” Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Uksi Sainian village, said. (Representational Image) “Swarn Singh was a respected man in our village. It is unbelievable that he had enmity with anybody,” Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Uksi Sainian village, said. (Representational Image) Chandigarh resident Swarn Singh, 73, was on Sunday shot dead by unidentified assailants on Rajpura-Sirhind road, around 40 km from here. Singh was the father-in-law of Punjab-cadre IAS officer Varun Roozam. The incident took place around 11 am near Uksi Sainian village, Swarn Singh’s native village. Three bullets were fired at him, two on his forehead and one in the chest. The police has prima facie ruled out robbery as a motive behind the killing. An FIR has been lodged against unidentified persons. “A passer-by found him in a badly injured condition and informed police. When we reached the spot, we found that he had been shot. We rushed him to Rajpura civil hospital. The doctors declared him dead on arrival,” a police officer said. The autopsy will conducted on Monday. Singh’s family members said was returning to Chandigarh from his native village when the incident took place. “He lived in Chandigarh with his family. But he was a staunch follower of a gurdwara in the village which he used to visit every month. Today too, he came to the village and was going back to Chandigarh after paying obeisance at the gurdwara. Around 11.30 am, we learnt that he was shot at. We rushed to the spot and identified his car,” Singh’s nephew Jaspreet Singh said. “Swarn Singh was a respected man in our village. It is unbelievable that he had enmity with anybody,” Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Uksi Sainian village, said. The police suspect it could be a case of contract killing. Rajpura Sadar police station incharge, Inspector Dalbir Singh Grewal, said, “Preliminary probe indicates there were more than one assailant. We are not yet about the motive.” Singh worked with the state public health department and retired as senior engineer in 2003. He has one daughter from his first marriage who is married to Roozam, currently posted as managing director, Markfed. He had one daughter from a second marriage. He recently transferred a commercial property to the name of his second daughter. “We are not ruling out the property angle in this case,” Patiala SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu said. Roozam said the family was in shock. “At this stage, I cannot suspect anybody for his murder.” For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App

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