A day after a woman officer of the Punjab government’s Drug and Food Chemical Laboratory was shot dead in her office, Opposition parties and government employee unions on Saturday raised serious concern about the “deteriorating law and order situation” in the State.
“If a public servant feels threatened about his/her safety and security, then how will they perform their duties? We have decided to demand that the State government immediately take steps to provide protection at offices, especially at the district level, and to employees who are involved directly in public dealings, Sukhchain Singh Khaira, president, Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association, told The Hindu .
Neha Shorie, 38, posted as the zonal licensing authority with the Drug and Food Chemical Laboratory in Kharar district of Punjab, was shot dead on Friday in her office by a man, who later shot himself dead.
The police said the man, identified as Balwinder Singh, went to the victim’s office and fired two rounds at her from his licenced revolver. He shot himself after being cornered by people near the office. He succumbed to injuries later at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.
The accused a resident of Morinda in Punjab, had a chemist shop there.
The shop closed in 2008 after his licence was cancelled following the recovery of intoxicants during a raid conducted by the officer.
Collapse of machinery
The Aam Aadmi Party said the law and order situation in the State was deteriorating at a rapid pace.“The incident reflects the collapse of the law and order machinery in the Punjab,” said Harpal Singh Cheema, leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly.
Punjab’s former Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the Congress government in the State of having failed to protect its own officers. “The drug menace in the State today is far more grave than it ever was at any stage during the SAD-BJP government,” said Mr. Badal.
