Jammu, Jan 21 (IANS): Unidentified assailants fired at and killed a man, who was driving a car in J&K’s Jammu city on Tuesday.

Officials said some unidentified assailants fired at a man in the busy Jewel Chowk area of Jammu city in the afternoon.

“Assailants fired four shots at a man travelling in a car at Jewel Chowk today. They were already waiting at Jewel Chowk when they resorted to firing at the man in the car. The victim sustained a critical bullet injury. He was immediately taken to the government medical college (GMC) hospital in Jammu city where attending doctors said he was dead on arrival, according to the officials.

Police immediately reached the spot and started a search operation to nab the assailants, officials said.

The victim has been identified as 37-year-old Sumit Jandial of Ward number 9 in the Vijaypur area of Jammu.

The body of the slain person was shifted to the mortuary for completion of medico-legal formalities after registering an FIR in the incident, officials added.

It was not immediately known whether the incident was connected to gang war or some other reason like a property dispute, family feud or any other crime.

“It does not appear to be a militancy-related incident,” police sources said.

Gang wars have taken place in Jammu in the past and for the last 20 years, such incidents have become few and far between.

Police had been keeping a strict vigil on firing incidents connected with gang war by booking the warring factions to defuse the situation.

Tuesday’s incident took place days ahead of the Republic Day parade in the city where the national flag will be unfurled by the Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha. M.A.M. Stadium, the venue of the Republic Day parade, has already been taken over by the security wing of J&K Police to sanitise the stadium and, also all areas adjacent to the stadium.