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February 19, 2026. The gunshots in Moga, a remote town of Punjab, shocked the entire town when Harpinder Singh, a leading local leader of the Aam Adami party (AAP), was killed on a broad dry day in the Bagha Purana locality outside his own home. The 42-year-old leader, who committed grass-root activities and had a verbal attack on drug trafficking in the Malwa belt, was shot at several times and at close range around 11:45 AM when he was going out to see the party workers.

Eyewitnesses report that two gunmen on motorbikes fired pistol bullets when Harpinder was about to unlock his car. He received a blow to the chest and head and fell dead on the spot. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Moga, but he was declared dead upon arrival, as he lost lots of blood. The hijackers escaped on the spot, and no one got hurt during the crossfire.

Harpinder Singh was a longtime AAP activist since 2014 and climbed up the ranking of the party following the 2022 elections in the Punjab Assembly. He was the youth president of AAP in the district of Moga and recently headed numerous protests against drug menace, illegal sand mining, and alleged police protection to smugglers. He had publicly identified a number of powerful people and accused the government of being complicit at the state level in protecting the drug mafia in the last six months.

Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann denounced the killing within hours, giving it the name of a cowardly attack on democracy, and issued an order for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be headed by an officer of the rank of ADGP to investigate the case from all angles. A case had been registered by the Punjab Police on Section 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and the Arms Act. An amount of 10 lakh has been declared for anyone providing information that will help arrest the killers.

National convenor of AAP Arvind Kejriwal tweeted:

Still shocked and hurt at the brutal killing of our comrade, Harpinder Singh. This is an assault on the voice of the masses. Punjab Police needs to avail prompt justice.

The murder has sparked off mass protests in Moga; AAP employees impeded roads and insisted on arrests. The Mann government was accused of protecting its own leaders by the opposition parties, such as Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, as well as doubting the state of law and order.

With the SIT in its investigation, the murder of Harpinder Singh has again put the focus back on drugs, political violence, and the nexus between the criminals and power, which is still part of the battle in Punjab. In the meantime, a family is bereaved, a party is mourning, and the citizens of Moga demand explanations and, maybe, even justice.