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.
Just a month away from the Assembly polls in Punjab, the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM), a group of farm organisations, in its maiden electoral foray after getting the Central agricultural laws revoked, on Wednesday released its first list of 10 candidates out of 117 seats.
After the Model Code of Conduct came into force in the state for the Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections, enforcement teams have seized valuables worth Rs 23.8 crore in violation of code, besides confiscating unaccounted cash till January 12, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab S. Karuna Raju said on Thursday.
Channi expressed regret while participating in a virtual meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi with Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors/Administrators of states and UTs to review the prevailing Covid situation as well as the ongoing vaccination drive.
Unveiling the first set of plans in his Punjab Model with focus on resurrection of Punjab, Sidhu, in the absence of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his Cabinet colleagues, told the media here: "Punjab Model is people's model, an effort to give a roadmap to return power to people."
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that he "personally" feels that alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab had cost the BJP heavily.
India on Tuesday recorded 1,68,063 new Covid cases, taking the total tally to 8,21,446. Although the fresh infections were 6.4 per cent less than Monday when the country logged 1,79,723, the weekly positivity rate has climbed to 8.85 per cent and the daily positivity rate has declined to 10.64 per cent. On the other hand, 4,461 Omicron cases were recorded from 28 states.
