ROPAR: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said chief minister Bhagwant Mann did not have any moral right to remain in office and should resign immediately after taking responsibility for the total collapse of the law and order situation and the complete failure of the constitutional machinery in Punjab.
Addressing the media at Sri Anandpur Sahib, senior party leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the latest incident of shooting down of an ASI and head constable near Dorangala police station in Gurdaspur district near the international border with Pakistan had proved that even the police force was not safe. “After terrorizing the common man as well as the trade and industry, terror outfits are now challenging the police force by killing its personnel. Earlier they targeted the State Intelligance headquarters with a rocket launcher besides throwing grenades on police stations in the border belt”.
Asserting that Bhagwant Mann was responsible for this state of affairs, Dr Daljit Cheema said the former was also the home minister of Punjab. “It is clear that Bhagwant Mann is incapable of leading the home ministry. He must own moral responsibility for the multiple killings, including 25 in this month only, some outside police stations and even court complexes, and resign immediately”.
Speaking about the Dorangala incident in which two police personnel lost their lives; Dr Cheema said “the State police remained clueless about the shooting for nearly 12 hours. Even now they have not been able to trace the killers”.
The SAD leader said this failure to maintain the law and order situation was in stark contrast with the manner in which the AAP government was dealing with farmers, government employees as well as the media and its political opponents. “Bhagwant Mann has created a police State by tear gassing farmers and ordering their arrests without any reason besides registering false cases against media personnel and political opponents. However the home minister has failed to tackle the law and order situation and is responsible for the present day anarchy in which gangsters and terror outfits are calling the shots even as the people suffer. Only Bhagwant Mann’s removal can reset governance in Punjab”, he added.