Some success after several setbacks to maintain law & order across Punjab

Tribune News Service

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, March 14

The Aam Aadmi Party government has “struggled” to maintain law and order, with backend efforts to handle two major agitations, being the only high points for the police.

Highs

• Police gun down two shooters – Mannu Kussa and Jagroop Roopa— involved in murder of Moosewala and arrest Deepak Mundi from near Nepal in July 2022
• Able to placate protesters demanding justice in the sacrilege cases and police firing incident in February
• Ongoing crackdown on the gangsters and terrorists

Lows

• An RPG attack on the Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali on May 9, 2022
• Murder of Sidhu Moosewala on May 29, 2022, a day after his security was pruned
• claim about lookout notice against gangster Goldy Brar fell flat on June 9
• Nakodar cloth merchant Timmy Chawla killed over ransom call by the gangsters on December 7
• Gangster Deepak Tinu escapes from the custody of the Mansa CIA Inspector on October 1, 2022
• Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri shot dead in Amritsar
• Ajnala violence involving pro-Khalistani activists

Though the government drew flak for allowing the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, seeking the release of “Bandi Singhs”, to gather at Chandigarh-Mohali border, amid mounting concerns of radicalism raising its ugly head again, it was able to placate the agitators. This dharna had taken the form of a mini-Singhu border, reminiscent of the farmers’ stir against the controversial farm laws.

The government was able to impress upon the protesters seeking justice in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident. The agitations had sent a sense of unease among the residents. With the successful backend efforts, the residents, who had seen dark days during militancy, heaved a sigh of relief.

Amid all this, the police were criticised over what experts called a “meek surrender” to pro-Khalistan activists in Ajnala. There were several blushes for the police when ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his aides stormed the Ajnala police station and got his aide Lovepreet Singh released. Later, police personnel insisted that they prevented escalation of violence.

Lately, the police appear to be in control as it is in the process of cancelling the arms licences of Amritpal’s supporters. The police continue to face multiple challenges from gangsters, drug smugglers and terrorists.

To find effective, apolitical and hands-on police officers at various levels, forced the AAP government to carry out three to five reshuffles of field officers in the last year.

Soon after taking over the reins, an RPG was fired on the Intelligence Headquarters on May 9, 2022. Within three weeks, singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead by six shooters just after the AAP government withdrew his security and made the order public.

Later, a Shiv Sena leader was gunned down in Amritsar, a sacrilege accused in Faridkot and a trader was killed in Jalandhar for not paying ransom to the gangsters. A youth was killed by kidnappers in Muktsar.

The police have failed to get hold of gangster Goldy Brar, who claimed responsibility for murdering Moosewala.

On the success front, the police claimed to have arrested 564 gangsters and raided more than 4,000 possible hideouts of the Bhagwanpuria and Bishnoi gangs.

The police have confiscated 612.78-kg heroin after carrying out cordon and search operations in the state. Additionally, 147.5-kg heroin was seized by the teams of the Punjab Police from seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, taking the total effective recovery of heroin to 760.28-kg in just eight months. The police have also confiscated 464.18-kg opium, 586-kg ganja, 270 quintals of poppy husk and 53.73 lakh tablets of pharma opioids along with Rs 10.36 crore of drug money.

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