Jalandhar Commissioner of Police Arpit Shukla said Gagneja, Sah-sarsanghchalak of RSS's Punjab unit, was shot at around 9 PM near Makhdumpura colony here.
He was rushed to a private hospital where his condition is stated to be critical.
Local BJP MLA Manoranjan Kalia said that three bullets hit Gagneja.
Police have started probe in the matter.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Amarinder Singh condemned the attack on the RSS leader.
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"Such nefarious designs deserve to be nipped in the bud lest these push Punjab into anarchy," he said in a statement.
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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal condemned the attack on Brig Gagneja and ordered the district authorities to ensure that the culprits are apprehended at the earliest.
He directed authorities in Ludhiana to rush a team of top surgeons to attend to Brig Gagneja, an official statement said here.
He said Punjab is the land of saints and seers and has been a torch-bearer for values of peace and communal harmony.
Badal appealed people to maintain peace and harmony.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also condemned the incident and said strictest and prompt action will be taken against the culprits.