President of the Punjab unit of the Congress and former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday warned that with demoralisation setting in the rank and file of the police, the State is hurtling towards complete anarchy. He demanded that the Centre intervene to prevent return of dark days in the State.
Interacting with journalists at the party office here, Captain Singh expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation, escalating financial mess and revival of fundamentalist elements in the State during the tenure of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance government.Handing down a stern warning, Captain Singh said that if he was serious about keeping Punjab peaceful, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal must immediately sack his Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia whose “sena” of “proclaimed offenders and criminal elements” was on the rampage.
Elaborating, the PCC chief said that the demoralisation within the State Police could be gauged from the fact that S.S. Mand who is posted as Assistant Inspector General (AIG) did not have the courage to file a complaint against the persons who assaulted him and fractured his leg. He said that it was time for the Director General of Police (DGP), Sumedh Singh Saini, to stand up for his men.
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Captain Singh claimed that Ranjit Singh Rana raised slogans in favour of a Minister after he shot ASI Ravinderpal Singh in Amritsar. At Gidderbaha in the Chief Minister's home district Muktsar, an officer of the rank of ASI was beaten and humiliated by Akali workers after he came to the rescue of a lady constable who was being heckled. Similarly, the turban of SHO Ghanaur was removed and he was paraded in the streets of a village when he dared some Akali workers.
The former Chief Minister scoffed at the corrective measures being claimed by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. He said that instead of night patrolling, the Government needs to improve its normal policing during the active hours and revive the confidence of the public. “I receive so many calls from friends and party members, who narrate woes and have stopped their women folk from stepping outdoors,” he said.
Reacting to figures from the National Crime Record Bureau, which were touted by the Deputy Chief Minister to claim that Punjab was the most peaceful State in the country, Captain Singh said that it was common knowledge that the police officers in the districts and at the cutting edge had been directed not to record crime.
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