On Thursday morning, bullets tore through the glass facade of 24HS Fitness in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar area. The gym just happens to be a franchise owned by popular Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa. No one was injured, but the message was loud and clear. According to the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate, this was a direct warning to the musician for getting a little too friendly with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.
Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle pulled the trigger before fleeing the scene. Almost immediately, an unverified social media post under the name ‘Anil Pandit’ surfaced alongside an audio clip, taking responsibility for the gunfire. The Facebook post by Anil Pandit confirmed the lack of injuries while citing the precise threat against the singer. The post explicitly named gang members like Hari Boxer, called the shooting a “trailer,” and warned Randhawa to distance himself from Khan.
The hostility between the Bishnoi gang and Salman Khan is common knowledge in the industry. It dates back to the infamous 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan. Khan was accused of hunting an animal considered sacred by the Bishnoi community. He was convicted in 2018 and is currently out on bail challenging the verdict. Since then, the gang has essentially kept an open hit on the actor and anyone perceived to be in his inner circle.
Delhi Police have registered a case and are currently sweeping local CCTV footage while their cyber units try to track the digital footprint of the threat. But this isn’t an isolated scare. The incident marks the seventh gang-related shooting in Delhi since February. The syndicate is increasingly targeting high-profile Punjabi music figures to flex its muscle and enforce its grudges.
Just one month ago, the gang claimed responsibility for gunfire outside the Haryana residence of Gurpartap Singh Kang, the manager of singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh. The playbook is identical. Bullets in the morning, a social media post by the afternoon. The music industry is clearly in the crosshairs as this old Bollywood grudge continues to spill out onto the streets.