In a chilling incident that has sent shock waves through Moga district in Punjab, local Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli (45) was shot at his residence in Dala village late on Monday. The assailants, believed to be two in number, arrived on a motorcycle, with one entering Balli’s home while the other kept watch outside.

Hours after the gruesome incident, fugitive gangster and Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill, notoriously known as Arsh Dala, claimed responsibility for Balli’s murder through a Facebook post.

Dala, in his post written in Punjabi, attributed his actions to Balli’s alleged involvement in crime and harassment of his mother. The post alluded to a longstanding vendetta fueled by personal and political grievances.

In disturbing CCTV footage capturing the incident, a gunman can be seen forcefully entering the premises just as Balli, also known as ‘namberdar’ in the community, stood on his porch. Without hesitation, the assailant opened fire, striking Balli twice — once in the chest and once in the thigh. The injured leader was rushed to the hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries, according to the police.

Arsh Dala wrote: “I am responsible for the murder of Balli in Dala village because it was my own village’s politics which had made me tread this path. This man (Balli) was responsible for keeping my mother in CIA (police) custody for a week and he also got my friends arrested. He was hand in glove with police. He destroyed my home just to gain his own afsar shaahi”

 Notably, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had designated Arsh Dala a terrorist earlier this year due to his involvement in a range of heinous crimes.