A 30-year-old kabaddi player-cum-promoter died after unidentified gunmen opened fire on him after he arrived with his team for a tournament in Mohali on Monday (Dec 15, 2025), police said.
Kanwar Digvijay Singh alias Rana Balachauria was seriously injured in the attack and was taken to Fortis Hospital in Mohali, where he was declared brought dead, police said.
The incident took place at Sohana in Mohali, where a private kabaddi tournament was being held for the past few days, said SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans.
A statement issued by the hospital said, “Mr. Kanwar Digvijay Singh, a 30-year-old kabaddi player, was brought to Fortis Hospital in Mohali at 6.05 pm with a gunshot wound. He was declared brought dead despite immediate clinical assessment.”
The SSP told reporters that the assailants were 2-3 in number who reportedly fled on a motorcycle after the incident.
Asked if there was any nemesis angle or gang rivalry behind the killing, the SSP said, “The matter is under investigation.”
Some eyewitnesses told the police that the assailants pretended to be fans and approached Rana to click a selfie but opened fire soon after.
The tournament was held at a packed ground where Punjabi singer Mankirt Aulakh was also expected to present the awards for the evening matches, they said.
When Rana reached the ground, he was stopped by the assailants asking for a selfie.
“At first we thought firecrackers were going off,” said an eyewitness, referring to the gunshots.
“To scare the spectators, the attackers also fired in the air,” he said.
The killing brought back memories of three years ago when another kabaddi player, Sandeep Nangal, was shot dead in the middle of a tournament in Mallian Kalan village in Jalandhar district.
Recently, a 25-year-old kabaddi player named Teja Singh was shot dead in broad daylight in Jagraon in October this year.
Opposition criticizes Bhagwant Mann government over Mohali killings
The opposition Congress, SAD and BJP criticized the Bhagwant Mann government over the Mohali incident, alleging a total collapse of law and order in the state, according to AAP.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said in a post on X: “The open firing at a kabaddi tournament in Mohali that claimed the life of player Rana Balachauria is a chilling reminder of @AAPPunjab’s abject failure to maintain law and order. Bullets flying at public events are evidence of a collapse of governance.”
Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said on X, “The shots fired at the Mohali Kabaddi Cup in Sohana is a damning verdict on the utter failure of @BhagwantMann as CM and Home Minister.” Bajwa, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, alleged that sports arenas have turned into shooting ranges while criminals roam with impunity.
Shots at the Mohali Kabaddi Cup in Sohana are a damning verdict @BhagwantManntotal failure as CM and Home Minister.
Sports arenas have turned into shooting ranges while criminals roam with impunity.
When bullets fly at public events, it is clear that the state has lost…
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) December 15, 2025
“When bullets are flying at public events, it is clear that the state has lost control. This is not government, this is abdication. Punjab is paying the price for Mann’s incompetence and wrong priorities. Law and order has completely broken down. How many more shots before accountability,” he asked.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the incident has once again shaken Punjab to its core. Posting in Punjabi on X, Badal said, “Under the inept government of the state, the morale of criminals has risen to such heights that they do not hesitate to shoot even in the middle of a running match in front of a whole crowd.
“It is the incompetence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that there are daily murders, extortions and numerous other terrorist incidents in Punjab. Yet instead of maintaining law and order, the police focus on implementing government orders related to political vendetta.”
Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma said that the state has become so insecure today that even kabaddi fields are no longer safe from bullets. “This incident is all the more heartbreaking because Rana was recently married. The married life was mercilessly ended by the gangster rule.”
He also said that this was not the first such incident.
“Earlier kabaddi players Sandeep Nangal Ambian and Tejpal Singh were brutally murdered. All these incidents make one thing clear – Punjab players are also in the crosshairs of gangsters under Bhagwant Mann’s rule,” Mr Sharma said on X.
Mr Sharma also claimed that “under the failed leadership of Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal’s remote-controlled government from Delhi, law and order has completely broken down in Punjab”.
“Criminals, gangsters, killers and shooters are roaming freely without fear while the government is busy with advertisements and false claims. From villages to cities, from streets to stadiums – there is an atmosphere of fear in Punjab today,” he said.
Published – 16 Dec 2025 12:40 IST
