Attacker from Youth Congress gets the bodyguard, comes back for unprotected BJP worker in Ludhiana

Ludhiana: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker who survived a murder attempt has struggled for more than a year to secure protection despite death threats, even as his accused rival, a Youth Congress leader facing serious criminal charges, was assigned a police gunman, who was by his side when he allegedly attacked the BJP man on Friday night while out on bail.
Gurbir Singh Garcha of the BJP has sought protection repeatedly since receiving death threats linked to Sarvotam Singh ‘Lucky Sandhu', a general secretary of the Punjab Youth Congress facing at least 10 criminal cases, including kidnapping and extortion. On Friday night, Sandhu, out on bail recently, allegedly attacked Garcha near South City. Sarabha Nagar police confirmed a police gunman had accompanied Sandhu during the attack. Sandhu and an accomplice, Anmol, were arrested and later sent to judicial custody.
Garcha and Sandhu share a long history of hostility. In 2023, Sandhu was arrested for attempting to extort money from Garcha with the help of social media influencer Jasneet Kaur, who allegedly threatened to leak private conversations. Sandhu was again arrested in Sept 2023 for kidnapping a witness in an assault case related to Garcha's earlier complaint.
Despite repeated threats, Garcha's requests for protection have been ignored. According to documents reviewed by The Times of India, Garcha was assigned a police gunman in Sept 2023, but it was withdrawn four months later. Twice in 2024, the Model Town police recommended reinstating security, citing ongoing threats, but senior officials did not approve the requests. A third report in March 2025 concluded protection was unnecessary, citing Garcha's licensed firearm and pending cyber investigations into threat calls.
"I moved to Canada for safety but had to return due to business losses," Garcha said. "Despite a Punjab and Haryana high court order in Nov 2024 directing police to safeguard my life, the authorities chose instead to deny me protection while granting security to my attacker." When contacted, ASI Ashwnai Kumar, in charge of Raghunath police post, confirmed that Sandhu's govt-assigned gunman had been present during the last assault.
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Jailed politician danced at wedding while on med leave
In December 2023, Sarvotam Singh ‘Lucky Sandhu' was seen dancing at a wedding while supposedly on medical leave from Ludhiana's Central Jail. Police had escorted him ostensibly for a check-up at the PGI in Chandigarh due to a back pain complaint, but video footage showed him attending a marriage celebration. Following public outrage, the-then police commissioner, Kuldeep Singh Chahal, had suspended the two officers involved — sub-inspector Mangal Singh and assistant sub-inspector Kuldeep Singh. A departmental inquiry was ordered, but its findings have not been made public.