AAP govt. faces heat over Punjab’s law and order; Minister holds previous regimes accountable for gangsters ‘having free run’

Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is facing intense criticism from opposition parties over the perceived breakdown of law and order following a series of criminal offenses in different parts of the state in recent days.

A day after AAP leader and village sarpanch Jharmal Singh was allegedly shot dead at a wedding hall in Amritsar, opposition parties including the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gave arms training to the AAP government over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The incident drew comparisons to the shooting death of ‘Kabaddi’ athlete and organizer Kanwar Digvijay Singh (alias Rana Balachauria), who was fatally shot on 15 December 20025 while participating in a tournament in Mohali.

“Bhagwant Mann failed both as Prime Minister and Home Minister and had no right to continue in office,” SAD leader and Harsimrat Kaur MP in Lok Sabha said.

He alleged that the law and order situation in the state has completely collapsed. “Gangsters roam freely and indulge in extortion and murders. Every day, sensational incidents take place like the daylight murder of a village Sarpanch in Amritsar, the murder of an NRI woman in Kapurthala and the murder of a Panchayat member in Moga,” he told media persons in Bathinda.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has urged all political parties to come forward to protect the border State of Punjab from the dangerous designs of anti-national forces and criminal networks, which he claims have flourished under the AAP regime.

“The situation is extremely worrying.. The AAP government has completely failed in its responsibility to ensure public safety and good governance. Punjab’s governance has completely collapsed, both economically and administratively. The situation has deteriorated so much that youth, traders, industrialists, women and even farmers feel insecure and terrorized in their own states,” he said in the statement.

“Police presence seems to have ended in Punjab,” Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, referring to targeted killings by criminal gangs. He added that the people of Punjab have lost all hope from the government and police.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister and AAP State President Aman Arora said that strict instructions have already been given to the Punjab Police. “Anyone who tries to tamper with law and order, anyone who is involved in this crime will not be forgiven. The police are actively and effectively on duty and they will soon face harsh sanctions.”

Blaming past regimes for “gansterism” in the state, Mr. Arora traced the roots of the current crisis to the mismanagement and patronage of previous governments in the last 10-15 years. “Over the last few decades, this epidemic has been nurtured and allowed to spread. The political patronage of that period is directly responsible for this metastasis reaching such dimensions,” he claimed.

“No one in our government or party provides patronage to gangsters, drug dealers or criminals,” he added.