Strong objection to summoning political leaders and journalists in the Patiala audio case
CHANDIGARH: Bharatiya Janata Party’s state president, Sunil Jakhar, expressed concern over the continuously worsening law-and-order situation in Punjab and questioned the excesses of the police administration. He asserted that only the BJP has the strong will and capability to rein in the “black sheep” within the police. If given the opportunity, such uniformed extortionists would be strictly dealt wi and peace would be restored in the state.
Addressing a press conference here today, he recalled that on 7 November 2025 in Tarn Taran, Shri Arvind Kejriwal had warned gangsters to leave Punjab within seven days or face consequences. But instead of leaving, gangsters have openly accepted his challenge and are committing crimes every single day — while Kejriwal himself has not been seen in Punjab since then.
Sharing a list of serious incidents such as shootings, robberies and ransom cases that happened over the past month, he said hardly a day has passed without a shocking crime carried out by gangsters.
Raising questions, he said all this is happening despite Punjab having 17 DGP-rank and 13 ADGP-rank officers. By comparison, Haryana has just one DGP.
Sunil Jakhar alleged that after the failure of the Land Pooling Policy, those in power have deployed the police for illegal extortion activities. He said police officers, who are accountable to the Constitution, have bowed before the ruling party and are now engaged in undemocratic tasks such as helping AAP leaders rig elections, as well as pressuring citizens for illegal collection of money.
Referring to the earlier incident in which gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s interview was conducted from jail, Jakhar stated that the DGP had submitted an affidavit in the High Court, claiming that the interview did not take place in Punjab. But in an investigation supervised by the High Court, it was proven that it did happen here in Punjab only.
He said in the recent Patiala SSP viral audio case, police hastily labeled the audio as AI-generated within just two hours, without any inquiry, and instead issued summons to journalists and political leaders. Calling this deeply concerning for the media and political fraternity, he said there should have been an impartial investigation first, but the police has become a tool of the government. He urged all political parties and media organizations to unite against this injustice.
The State BJP President said that it was a Central government agency that recently caught a Punjab Police officer extorting money from the public. He assured that if the people of Punjab give BJP a chance, such extortionists within the police will be firmly disciplined. Punjab Police is a capable force, he stated, but a few individuals in uniform have damaged its reputation.
Sunil Jakhar urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to return from Japan and take charge of Punjab. He said the government must first ensure an impartial investigation into the audio clip. The BJP, he added, will not sit quietly and will give a strong reply to every injustice committed against the people.