Punjab will be soon free of gangsters: Bhagwant Mann
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Jul, 2022 12:23 PM
Chandigarh, July 21 (IANS) Complimenting the Punjab Police and the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) for successfully carrying out an operation to gun down two sharpshooters involved in the killing of famed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Thursday that the state will soon be free of gangsters and drug peddlers.
"It is my guarantee to the people of the state that we will not allow anyone to disturb the hard-earned peace in Punjab, and every effort will be made to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state by making it free of gangsters and drug peddlers," the Chief Minister said.
During a meeting with Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and other officers, who called on him at his official residence here, Mann said that gangsters and drug peddlers were patronised by the previous governments.
He said under the protection of Akalis and Congress, gangsters and drug peddlers had a free run in the state because their masters used them for their own vested political interests.
However, Mann said that after assuming charge, his government accorded top priority to free Punjab of gangsters and drug smugglers, adding that the day is not far when all of them will be behind the bars.
The Chief Minister said the action of Punjab Police on Wednesday to eliminate two sharpshooters involved in the killing of Moosewala was in consonance with the zero-tolerance policy of the government against gangsters and anti-social elements.
Mann said the AGTF had identified the sharpshooters after which the police zeroed down on the abandoned building in Amritsar district where they were hiding, adding that the Punjab Police carried out the operation in a highly professional manner by displaying exemplary courage.
During the meeting, the DGP and AGTF head Pramod Ban apprised the Chief Minister about the entire operation.
Appearing for the Punjab government, Senior Advocate P. Chidambaram argued that Majithia has gone into hiding after the rejection of his bail plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and now he is appearing through counsel.
Interestingly, the move comes a week after neighbouring Madhya Pradesh permitted liquor sales at all its airports, select supermarkets in four major cities and also allowed issuing home bar licences to those earning Rs 1 crore or more annually.
The incident took place on Wednesday and the accused are said to be illicit liquor sellers in the area. It has been alleged that the woman was also gang-raped. A video of the incident showed the woman being attacked.
Both Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have urged Rahul Gandhi to announce a CM face well ahead of the polls, instead of going with the collective leadership.
The ministry of external affairs organised the summit virtually on Thursday which was attended by the heads of all five Central Asian countries -- Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Republic of Uzbekistan.
Harcharan Bains, Principal Advisor to SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, shared documents pertaining to the reported abuse of the state intelligence wing by a private company, Movedek Politico. Bains said there are credible reports that the highest-ranked police officers of the state were asked to collaborate with the private company in intelligence gathering.
