Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday accused the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal government of laxity, saying it was the reason behind the rising crime rates and deterioration in law and order in the state. Mr. Channi also demanded the immediate removal of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
“We demand a special discussion on the deterioration of the law and order situation across the state in the forthcoming session of the Assembly. Mr. Sukhbir Badal has failed in his role as Home Minister and was directly responsible for the rising crime in the state,” Channi said in press conference in Chandigarh.
He claimed that going by the crime scenario over the last nine years, Mr. Badal had no moral right to continue. “Every type of crime has multiplied, including rapes and crime against women, which fly in the face of claims made by the Deputy Chief Minister about Punjab being the most peaceful state,” he said.
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Pointing to the crime-related figures in 15 out of the state’s 22 districts, Mr. Channi said that a total of 59,336 cases under various criminal categories have been registered in 15 districts of the state over the last nine years.
“Punjab witnessed on average two murder cases every day, with a figure of 4,460 in 15 districts, which is shocking for a ‘peaceful’ state,” he said.