Chandigarh: A 37-year-old Punjab Police constable was found dead in a small artificial pool at the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Sector 1 on Friday evening, while another cop died of a gunshot wound near the Panjab University Botanical Garden in Sector 14 the same evening.In the first incident, police suspect the constable fell into the pool accidentally after suffering a seizure. In the second, it is yet to be established whether the head constable shot himself or his service pistol went off accidentally.Constable found dead in Secretariat poolThe deceased, Parwinder Singh, was posted with the 13th Battalion of Punjab Police and was deployed for security at the Secretariat.Police said a colleague spotted Singh in the pool, pulled him out and rushed him to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, where doctors declared him brought dead.Upon receiving information, a team from the Sector 3 police station reached the hospital and inspected the spot. No suicide note was recovered from the scene.According to police, Singh was reportedly suffering from seizures. Investigators suspect he might have suffered an episode before falling into the pool and drowning. Prima facie, no foul play is suspected, they added.His body has been shifted to the GMSH-16 mortuary for a postmortem examination. Police are recording statements of his family members and colleagues to establish the sequence of events. Sector 3 police have initiated inquest proceedings.Head constable dies of gunshot woundIn the second incident, Punjab Police head constable Gurmangat Singh died after sustaining a gunshot wound from his service pistol near the Panjab University Botanical Garden in Sector 14 on Friday evening.Gurmangat, who belonged to Amritsar, was posted with the 82nd Battalion of Punjab Police. For the past two and a half months, he had been deployed to provide security to Sher Singh, head gardener at the Botanical Garden.The incident took place around 4:30pm when Gurmangat was on duty. He died on the spot. After receiving information, a team from the Sector 11 police station, including the SHO, and the in-charge of the Panjab University police post reached the spot. The body was shifted to the mortuary at GMSH-16 for an autopsy. Sector 11 police registered a case and initiated inquest proceedings.It is not yet clear whether Gurmangat shot himself or his weapon went off accidentally. Police are examining the circumstances under which the service pistol was fired. The cause of death is expected to be established after the postmortem and further investigation.Gurmangat is survived by his wife and two children. He had been staying with Sher Singh at Jayanti Majri in Mohali.He had been assigned to Sher Singh’s security after the latter reported receiving threats linked to a longstanding land dispute involving around 3,600 killas of land across five villages. The dispute has also reached the Punjab and Haryana high court.Sher Singh, who has been working as head gardener at the Botanical Garden since 2013, remains on duty from 9am to 5pm.
