AMRITSAR, Nov. 19 -- The Holy City was rocked by two back-to-back daylight shootings on Tuesday, leaving two persons, including a transport company employee, dead and triggering panic in the city. The incidents come two days after a grocery shop owner, Manjit Singh, 65, was shot dead by gangsters at Dhoolka village in the Baba Bakala area of Amritsar district. His son, Lakhwinder Singh, said gangsters had demanded a ransom of Rs.50 lakh that the family refused to pay. The first incident took place at 9.50am at the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Amritsar when three gunmen fired at 45-year-old Makhan Singh, an assistant manager at Baba Budha Sahib Bus Service (Kahlon Transport), a company owned by BJP leader Ravikaran Singh Kahlon. Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos as the assailants opened fire in the crowded bus terminal, causing people to run for cover. Makhan was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Preliminary investigations suggest the shooting may have been linked to an ongoing dispute between transport companies over bus timings. According to a police official privy to the probe, the conflict escalated when the dispute turned violent, but all angles are being considered in the investigation. Kahlon, whose transport company operates between Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts, confirmed that his family and employees had been receiving extortion threats for the past two months. The gangsters had reportedly demanded a ransom of Rs.2 crore. Despite filing complaints and an FIR, Kahlon stated that no action had been taken by the police before the fatal shooting. "We have been getting threat calls for a while, and now I have lost an employee who was like a son to me. He worked with us for 25 years," said Kahlon, adding that the family had informed top police officials about the extortion attempts. Led by assistant commissioner of police (ACP-East) Gagandeep Singh, cops reached the spot after the incident and started investigation. They also recovered bullet shells from the spot. Amritsar commissioner of police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said they are pursuing crucial leads in the bus stand murder case and the accused will be nabbed soon. A case has been registered under Section 103 (murder) of the BNS and 25/27 of the Arms Act. The investigation is focusing on the involvement of gangster Doni Ball, who was allegedly behind the extortion threats. Another shooting took place in the Chheharta area of Amritsar at around 8.30am. Varinder Singh, 40, was shot while returning home after dropping his children at school. Two assailants on a motorcycle approached him from behind and opened fire at close range. The bullet struck Varinder in the neck, causing him to fall off his scooter. The assailants fled the scene, and Varinder was rushed to a hospital where he was later declared dead. The victim's family has raised suspicions about the motive, pointing to a long-standing family dispute involving the victim's brother-in-law, Nishan Singh. According to the complainant, Nishan and his family had been threatening Varinder and his relatives over custody of a child. The police believe the shooting may be linked to this ongoing family conflict. Within hours of the attack, the police arrested two suspects - Gurlaal Singh and Paramjit Kaur - both of whom are linked to the dispute. An FIR has been registered under Section 103, 61 (2) BNS 25, 27 Arms Act. Both the accused Gurlal Singh and his wife Paramjit Kaur were arrested, said the officials, adding further investigation is on to arrest the remaining accused. The daylight killings have sparked political backlash, with opposition leaders slamming the state government's handling of law and order. Congress MLA Pargat Singh condemned the rise in violence across Punjab, saying: "Not a day passes without violence in Punjab. Punjab is slipping into a deeply unsafe environment, and the Bhagwant Mann government has pushed the state into this climate of fear." Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma also expressed concerns over the state's security situation. "The law and order situation has come into question in Amritsar, where shootings occurred despite heavy police presence and the presence of top officials, including the governor and a central minister. Gangsters seem to have no fear, and the government is only focused on showpiece programs rather than addressing the growing insecurity in the state," Sharma said in a statement. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also accused the AAP government of having "completely abdicated its authority," allowing criminals and gangsters to operate with "audacious impunity." "While the AAP government is counting its days, we are counting our dead," Warring said in a sharply worded statement, pointing to a series of recent murders. He cited the killing of a trader's son in Ferozepur two days ago and the murder of another trader in Amritsar the following day, allegedly over ransom demands....