Punjab MLA Gurpreet Gogi, 58, died of a gunshot wound to his head at his residence in Ludhiana late on Friday. While a senior police official said that prima facie it seemed like the incident took place while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Ludhiana West was cleaning his weapon, the city police chief said it was being verified “if it was a suicide or accidental fire”.
The incident took place at Gogi’s residence in the Ghumar Mandi area. He was rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) but was declared dead on arrival.
“The MLA received a gunshot injury in his head. The autopsy report will confirm other details. It is being verified if it was a suicide or accidental fire,” Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Police Commissioner, Ludhiana, told .
“Prima facie, it was an accidental fire when the MLA was cleaning his weapon. He received a gunshot injury in the head from his 25-bore pistol. Autopsy report will ascertain other details,” Shubham Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation), Ludhiana, said.
A four-time Congress councillor in Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and former district president of Ludhiana Congress (Urban), Gogi quit the Congress after 22 years to join AAP ahead of the Punjab elections in 2022 and was given a ticket from Ludhiana West. A first-time MLA, he had defeated former Congress minister and two-time MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu by more than 7,000 votes.
Hours before the incident, Gogi had held a meeting with Punjab Vidhan Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal for cleaning Buddha Nullah. He had also visited a temple in BRS Nagar where a theft had taken place and had assured justice in the case.
A businessman with diverse commercial interests such as a private hostel, a gun house and a taxi service, Gogi had told The Indian Express in an interview that he decided to switch to AAP because “hard work wasn’t paying” in Congress and there was “no promotion of dedicated workers”.
Gogi was passionate about antiques, including guns and vehicles. He had an enviable collection of vintage cars and his antique collection included guns, postal tickets, coins and books.
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *