Amritsar, Oct. 17 -- A 40-year-old man was killed and two of his companions were injured in an armed assault at Madi Pannwan village near Sri Hargobindpur in Batala on Thursday evening, police said on Friday. While the village sarpanch and area residents claimed that the victims were targeted for opposing drug peddling in their neighbourhood, police ruled out any drug angle and attributed the attack to an altercation over a mobile phone. Categorically ruling out any drug angle, Batala SSP Mehtab Singh, in a video posted on X, said the murder was the fallout of a scuffle between two groups over a mobile phone. The SSP said the accused had been identified and will be arrested soon. "Police have launched a probe after registering a case under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita," he added The assault comes close on the heels of the October 13 killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa for confronting a medical store owner, Ashwani Kumar, over the synthetic drug trade. While Ashwani was arrested and a Punjab bandh was called on Thursday to protest the murder, recurring violence against residents taking on local narcotics networks has triggered anger and concern across the state. Thursday's attack occurred around 8 pm within the jurisdiction of the Batala police district. The victim, Bikramjit Singh, 40, died, while his companions, Nishan Singh and Gurmukh Singh, are under treatment at Community Health Centre, Bham, after sustaining severe injuries. Bikramjit lived with his elderly mother. After his death, his mother lost the only support and breadwinner. Gurmukh, a cousin of the deceased, said a group of local youngsters routinely loitered in their street, harassing women and selling narcotics openly. Tensions flared on Thursday evening when the residents confronted the group. "They also indulged in thefts in the village and recently they stole mobile phones of a village youth. When we asked them to stop their activities, they launched an attack on us with sharp weapons," added Gurmukh. According to the victims, the group comprised 10 to 15 armed men. Village sarpanch Surinderpal Singh Bajwa said the victims were attacked shortly after approaching the group. Villagers intervened and rushed them to the Community Health Centre at Bham. Dr Abhishek at the CHC said Bikramjit succumbed to his injuries during treatment, while Nishan and Gurmukh were under treatment, but out of danger. Police led by Sri Hargobindpur SHO Sukhjinder Singh reached the spot to inspect the scene and register a case. Further investigation is underway to trace and arrest the attackers....