A Punjab Police commando posted at the residence of the AAP candidate for the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-poll allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on Thursday, damaging several vehicles and causing panic in Pathankot.

Lakhwinder Singh (47) opened fire from his SLR rifle at around 4:45 am in the Victoria estate area. No casualty was reported in the incident. Singh, posted at the residence of AAP candidate Major General Suresh Khajuria (retd), was suffering from "hallucination and delusion", the police said. "We got him medically examined and as per the medical report, he was suffering from hallucination and delusion," Pathankot SSP Vivek Sheel Soni said, adding that he could also be suffering from schizophrenia. SSP Soni said the commando has been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act. "Initially he fired shots in the air and then he kept on firing while walking on the road in the residential area," he said.

Singh fired close to 20 shots, police said, adding that he shot at vehicles parked outside the residences in the area. Four vehicles were damaged. Moreover, the bullets also hit the windows and walls of some of the houses, sparking panic among the residents.

The Gurdaspur Lok Sabha by-poll, which will take place on October 11, was necessitated following the demise of BJP MP Vinod Khanna in April this year.