Rupnagar, October 31 — A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Nitin Nanda was shot and critically injured during a wedding in Rupnagar, the accused, retired Chandigarh Police DSP Dilsher Singh Chandel, surrendered to the police on Thursday.
According to officials, Chandel allegedly fired three shots at Nanda late Wednesday, one of which hit him in the head. The former police officer, who retired in June this year, had fled the spot immediately after the incident.
Nanda was first taken to the civil hospital in Anandpur Sahib and later shifted to PGIMER, Chandigarh, where surgeons removed the bullet from his head. “He is now stable and expected to be discharged in a couple of days,” said a relative, adding that Nanda’s condition had improved considerably.
SSP Gulneet Khurana said Chandel was intercepted while heading to the court to surrender. “He has been taken into custody, and we have secured his remand for questioning. The .32-bore revolver used in the crime has been recovered,” the SSP said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the attack was the result of a personal dispute over a land deal between the two men, who belong to the same village in Anandpur Sahib. “The property deal between them had gone sour, and both had lodged complaints against each other in the past. One of Nanda’s recent complaints is still pending,” Khurana noted.
Police have also named three others — Ran Bahadur, Dr. Ajay Rana, and Ram Singh — in the case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. “Raids are ongoing to locate the remaining accused,” Khurana added.
Before his surrender, Chandel accused Nanda of pushing him to the edge. “For seven years, he has been filing false cases, insulting me on social media, and humiliating me publicly. I finally reacted. He survived, but I feel no regret,” Chandel said.
Responding to the ₹1-crore fraud allegation, the retired officer said, “That matter has already been examined multiple times and closed by the Rupnagar SSP.”
Police officials said further questioning will determine whether more people were involved in planning the attack.
