PHAGWARA: Despite the Punjab government launching Operation Prahar-2 to curb crime, recurring incidents of extortion and gun violence continue to instill fear across the state. While traders, sportspersons and youth are already living under a shadow of insecurity, the growing sense of lawlessness is now discouraging Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from visiting Punjab.
A fresh case highlighting this alarming trend has surfaced from Bara village in the Goraya area, where a US-based NRI family has refused to travel to their native village following a targeted attack on their property. According to local sources, Kulwant Singh Kanta Sahota, a native of the village and a US citizen, was scheduled to arrive in Punjab with his family on February 11. However, days before their visit, unidentified assailants vandalised his ancestral house, triggering panic among the family members.
A former panchayat member of the village and a youth responsible for maintaining the property stated that two attackers riding motorcycles damaged window panes and ventilator glass of the house, where a migrant worker has been residing for several years. CCTV footage of the incident has since emerged, clearly showing the attackers carrying out the act of vandalism before fleeing the scene.
The caretaker further revealed that this was not the first time the family had been targeted, as the police had earlier uncovered a conspiracy to attack the same NRI. Following the latest incident, the family decided to cancel their visit to Punjab, citing serious security concerns.
A formal complaint has been lodged with the Guraya police. Acting on the complaint, Chowki Dhuleta In-charge Sukhwinder Pal Singh reached the spot and initiated an investigation. Confirming the incident, Sukhwinder Pal Singh said the CCTV footage shows two motorcycle-borne individuals vandalising the windows and ventilators of the house. He added that, so far, no threat calls or extortion demands related to the case have come to the notice of the police, and further investigation is underway.
The incident has once again raised questions over public safety and the effectiveness of crime-control measures, particularly as fear among NRIs threatens to impact their ties with their homeland.