Mann under fire over ASI murder, Kapurthala jail violence, opposition demands resignation

Opposition parties in Punjab on Sunday lashed out at the AAP government over the killing of a Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector and the Kapurthala jail incident, alleging that it has lost the ''moral'' authority to continue amid ''complete lawlessness and anarchy.''.

Leaders from the Congress, the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal targeted the Bhagwant Mann government over the law and order situation, claiming that nobody was safe.

An assistant sub-inspector was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Amritsar on Sunday. The body of ASI Joga Singh was found near the Fatehgarh Churian-Majithia road.

In another incident, inmates ran amok in the Kapurthala jail following a clash. The police authorities lobbed teargas shells and resorted to a cane-charge to restore order late Saturday night. Three inmates were injured in the incident.

Reacting to these two incidents, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring claimed that the AAP lost the ''moral authority'' to continue, claiming ''prevailing anarchy'' across the state.

''This is high time that the government either starts to act or decides to abdicate, sooner the better'', he said.

Warring said the AAP government has clearly ''abdicated'' its authority, allowing the criminals and gangsters to have a free run. ''There is no fear of law'', he said.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh also hit out at the AAP government, calling these incidents ''glaring examples of total administrative collapse''.

He demanded the resignation of Mann, who also holds the home portfolio.

''The cold-blooded murder of a Punjab Police ASI has exposed the shocking insecurity prevailing across the state. If Punjab Police personnel themselves are not safe, what security can ordinary citizens expect under the Bhagwant Mann government?'' he asked.

Referring to the Kapurthala jail incident, Chugh said inmates went on a rampage, exposing the ''complete breakdown'' of prison administration in Punjab.

''These incidents are not isolated, as Punjab has witnessed repeated attacks on police chowkis, police establishments, extortion rackets, targeted killings, and growing gangster activity in recent months, reflecting the increasing audacity of criminal and anti-social elements under AAP rule,'' he alleged in a statement here.

''Punjab's jails have become safe havens for organised crime, where extortion networks flourish, narcotics circulate freely, and gangsters continue to operate fearlessly from inside prisons,'' he added.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the ASI's killing.

''Law and order have completely collapsed in Punjab under Bhagwant Mann's misrule. Not even policemen are safe today. Targeted killings, gangster dominance, and zero security, this is why doctors, traders, industrialists, and everyone are fleeing the state,'' alleged Badal.

Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said the ASI's murder lays bare the ''dangerous'' state of public safety in the state under the AAP rule.

''When criminals can target a police officer without fear, it reflects how deeply the atmosphere of fearlessness among criminals has spread across the state. Governance cannot run on advertisements and headlines while citizens and even policemen feel vulnerable on the roads,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)