In a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of allowing organised crime to flourish unchecked across the state. Bajwa, holding the dual charge of CM and Home Minister responsible, warned that Punjab is rapidly transforming into a lawless arena for gangsters and criminal syndicates.
Shocking Public Violence Highlights Governance Failure
Bajwa pointed to a recent and brazen incident in Mohali's Sector 82 as grim evidence of the administration's collapse. He highlighted the case where gangsters openly shot and killed a team promoter at point-blank range during a kabaddi tournament. This act of violence in the middle of a public sporting event, Bajwa asserted, underscores the government's utter failure to guarantee even basic public safety.
The Congress leader further amplified concerns over pervasive fear, citing the wave of bomb threats targeting schools statewide. "Schools across Punjab are repeatedly receiving bomb threats, spreading fear and anxiety among children and parents. Yet the AAP government remains disturbingly inert," Bajwa stated. He alleged that the Chief Minister and Home Minister are completely disconnected from the harsh realities on the ground as Punjab slides deeper into chaos.
Systemic Intelligence Breakdown Fuelling Crime Wave
Launching a direct assault on the government's policing capabilities, Bajwa claimed that the intelligence wing of the Punjab Police has been rendered virtually defunct under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's leadership. This critical failure, he argued, is a primary driver of the escalating crime graph.
"Crime today is not just rampant—it is foreseeable. Yet there is no preventive action. This systemic intelligence failure directly fuelled the rising crime graph," the senior Congress leader asserted. He warned that gun violence and street-level crime have reached perilous levels, with illegal firearms becoming commonplace. "Even petty criminals are roaming freely with weapons. Citizens feel abandoned by the state and unsafe in their own neighbourhoods," Bajwa said, cautioning that Punjab is being pushed towards a full-fledged gangland culture.
Extortion Fear Grips Common Citizens
To illustrate the climate of terror affecting ordinary Punjabis, Bajwa narrated the disturbing ordeal of a landless labourer. The man, who won a lottery of Rs 1.5 crore, was immediately forced into hiding due to extortion threats from criminals.
"The man switched off his phone, locked his modest home, and fled with his family to save their lives," Bajwa recounted. He posed a poignant question: "If this is the fate of a poor citizen after a stroke of luck, what does it reveal about the home department? This is a cruel mockery of governance." This case, according to the opposition leader, symbolises how the state's failure to protect its citizens is emboldening criminals to target anyone, regardless of their social standing.
The allegations present a serious challenge to the AAP government, painting a picture of a state machinery that has lost its grip on law and order. The call for accountability grows louder as incidents of public violence and threats against common people continue to surface.
