Mohali Kabaddi player Rana Balachauria murder Highlights: Heartrending scenes witnessed at players cremation; family inconsolable
Assailants approached Rana Balachauria on the pretext of taking a selfie and suddenly opened fire, shooting him in the head at close range
Dec 16, 2025 06:51 PM
Dec 16, 2025 12:42 PM
The SSP said Rana Balachauria was stopped on the pretext of taking a selfie. He clarified that no cloth was placed over Rana’s head; instead, he was halted under the guise of clicking a normal photograph, after which he was shot.
Dec 16, 2025 12:39 PM
The SSP said the murder was committed with the intent to control and dominate kabaddi, and clarified that there is no angle related to the Sidhu Moosewala murder in the case.
He said Rana Balachauria is linked to gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, while Dony Bal is associated with the Bambiha gang. The SSP also stated that Shaganpreet’s name has surfaced in past controversies, including the murder of Akali leader Vicky Middukhera.
Sidhu Moosewala’s name was deliberately invoked to justify the killing, the SSP said.
Clarifying speculation, the SSP said singer Mankirt Aulakh was not the target of the attack. “The attackers had come specifically to shoot Rana Balachauria,” he said, adding that two to three more individuals provided ground support to the shooters, and efforts are on to identify them.
Dec 16, 2025 12:37 PM
SSP Hans press conference
Addressing a press conference, SSP Harmandeep Hans said three shooters were involved in the attack and that a gang had claimed responsibility for the crime. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the shooters were linked to gangster Lucky Patial.
He identified Aditya Kapoor alias Makhan, a resident of Amritsar, and Karan Pathak, also from Amritsar, as the two shooters who opened fire. Both are associated with the Dony Bal gang, the SSP said.
The SSP added that information about the third shooter has been obtained, but details cannot be disclosed at this stage due to the ongoing investigation.
According to police records, Aditya Kapoor has 15 criminal cases registered against him, while Karan Pathak faces two cases.
Clarifying security arrangements, SSP Hans said the kabaddi tournament had the necessary official permission and that police personnel were deployed at the venue. After carrying out the attack, the shooters fled the scene on a motorcycle.
PTC Web Desk: In a shocking incident, noted kabaddi promoter and player Digvijay Singh, popularly known as Rana Balachauria, was shot dead during a kabaddi tournament in Sohana of Mohali Monday evening. The attack took place at a ground in Sector 82, where a tournament match was underway. Rana Balachauria sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head and died on the spot. His post-mortem examination is underway, following which his last rites are likely to be performed later in the evening, according to sources.
The Mohali police have registered a murder case against unknown assailants and launched a massive operation to identify and arrest those involved. CCTV footage from areas surrounding Sohana is being scanned to trace the movement of the attackers.
According to police and eyewitness accounts, the incident occurred after the semi-final match. Rana Balachauria was the manager of the Shakarpur (Jalandhar) team and had brought two teams to participate in the tournament. After overseeing the toss for the semi-final match, he was leaving the ground when an assailant approached him on the pretext of taking a selfie and suddenly opened fire, shooting him in the head at close range.
Initial investigations suggest the attackers arrived in a Bolero vehicle, though some witnesses claimed they also saw the assailants fleeing on motorcycles. Police teams worked through the night reviewing CCTV footage from all possible exit routes used by the attackers.
Meanwhile, the Gopi Ghanshampuria gang has claimed responsibility for the killing through a social media post. In the post, gang members alleged that Rana Balachauria had links with rival gang members and had assisted those involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. The post claimed the killing was carried out as an act of revenge for Moosewala’s murder.
The post named several individuals while taking responsibility for the attack and further issued a warning to kabaddi players and their families, urging them not to associate or play for certain teams. The gang stated it had no objection to kabaddi as a sport but warned against the alleged involvement of specific individuals in the game.
Police officials said they are verifying the authenticity of the social media post.
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