Ludhiana/Chandigarh, January 11, 2024: Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Ludhiana West, was shot dead late Friday night. The incident occurred around midnight, and Gogi was pronounced dead before reaching Dayanand Medical College (DMC) Hospital, according to police officials.
Joint Commissioner Jaskaran Singh Teja confirmed the MLA’s death and stated that the body has been sent for postmortem. Senior police and administrative officers arrived at the hospital soon after the news broke.
The weapon involved was a .25 bore pistol, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Jaskaran Singh Teja. However, he cautioned against drawing conclusions about the circumstances of the shooting. A servant working in the MLA’s kitchen reported hearing a single gunshot. Officials have ruled out any immediate indications of depression or foul play.
Gogi’s last rites will be performed at 3 p.m. today at the crematorium near KVM School in Ludhiana. Earlier in the day, Cabinet Ministers Hardeep Singh Mundia and Barinder Kumar Goyal visited the deceased MLA’s residence, while local shopkeepers chose to shut down their businesses in mourning.
Gogi, who defeated Congress heavyweight Bharat Bhushan Ashu in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, was a former district president of Congress and served as a municipal councilor twice before joining AAP ahead of the elections.