Amritsar, Nov 05: Opposition BJP and Congress in Punjab on Friday targeted the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over the killing of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in a busy Amritsar locality, alleging a complete breakdown of law and order in the state.

 

 

 

Reacting to the incident, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he strongly condemns the brutal murder of Sudhir Suri in Amritsar.

 

 

 

“I appeal to everyone to maintain peace & harmony & fight enemies of Punjab together. “While it reflects poorly on the law and order situation in Punjab, I hope culprits are given exemplary punishment,” Amarinder Singh, a BJP leader, said in a tweet. Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma said law and order have “completely broken down” in the state. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that law and order is deteriorating and becoming bad to worse. He said Congress condemns the Amritsar incident. “Political differences apart, violence is unacceptable. Culprits must be brought to book,” Warring said in a tweet. Reacting to the incident, Punjab Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Jasvir Singh Garhi alleged that Punjab police, instead of safeguarding Punjabis, was rendering its services at the doorsteps of Delhi AAP leaders like Raghav Chadha. “Punjab was drifting towards a dangerous direction. Due to the AAP government’s negligence, earlier, a celebrity Punjabi singer like Sidhu Moosewala was killed,” Garhi alleged. Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Suri was shot dead on Friday while he was taking part in a protest outside a temple in a busy Amritsar locality, police said. According to police, five shots were fired at Suri after which he fell down and lost consciousness. He was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to bullet injuries, they said. The accused has been arrested and the weapon used in the crime seized, police said. Congress’ Warring also issued a statement to condemn the incident. At the same time, Warring appealed for peace and harmony and urged people to defeat the nefarious designs of the enemies of Punjab. Targeting the AAP dispensation, Warring alleged, “There is a complete collapse of law and order in the state, and culprits are choosing and killing their targets with so much ease and convenience”. The Congress leader said the killing reflects the failure of the government in handling the law and order situation in a border state like Punjab. “This had to happen as the entire government is busy with Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections”, he observed while cautioning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann against taking things lightly. Warring said, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal can afford to leave his state Delhi and campaign in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, but Punjab CM cannot as Punjab is not so easy to govern and administer as has been proven time and again. Punjab needs “full-time governance”, he remarked. The PCC president pointed out, Suri, irrespective of his political opinions, was a high-risk target and the government should have been more alert and careful about his security. He said, his killing has sent a shock wave across Punjab and caused a sense of fear among people. He warned that Punjab could not afford to allow the situation to drift into the dark era once again, he said referring to the militancy period earlier. “We have saved Punjab after so many sacrifices of people and it is our duty to preserve that hard-earned peace”, he said, while appealing for unity and harmony and rising above partisan politics. BJP State chief Sharma said that ever since the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party’s government in Punjab, law, and order has broken down. Besides, he alleged that there has been a lot of increase in the activities of anti-national forces and pro-Khalistan elements in Punjab.

 

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During the seven months rule of the Bhagwant Mann government, the criminals and gangsters are ruling the roost and they don’t have any fear of the government or the police administration. Sharma said the AAP came to power in Punjab by “falsely” promising to give ‘Rangla Punjab’ (vibrant Punjab) to the people, but since they took over, incidents of murders, dacoities, robberies, shootings, etc. are being carried out in Punjab on a daily basis. He also mentioned the killing of Punjabi singer Moosewala earlier this year. Chief Minister Mann himself is working as a rubber stamp of Kejriwal and Raghav Chadha, Sharma alleged.