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High Profile Murders – Competence of Punjab Police under Question – by KS Chawla

The failure of Punjab Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to crackdown any case of murder of RSS leaders and others have put a question mark on the competence of the two law enforcing agencies and particularly the Punjab police.

Punjab has witnessed the murders of RSS leaders and other important personalities during the past two years and the Punjab police has failed to solve any of these cases. Finally the State Government led by Parkash Singh Badal former Chief Minister entrusted the investigation to the CBI and also announced number of cash awards.

KS ChawlaThe CBI which took up these cases about a year ago has also not been able to solve any case. All this has caused great concern among the people of Punjab and there is a sense of panic among them. All these murders are political murders.

Now NIA has been asked to Investigate case of Ravinder Gossain RSS Leader of Ludhiana.

The latest case of murder took place in Ludhiana on October 17 Ravinder Gosain a RSS trainer in Gagandeep Nagar of Basti Jodhewal when he had just returned from the shakha at around 7-20 am. Two motor cycle borne masked men on a yellow motor cycle shot him dead as he came out of his house alongwith his grandson. He died on the spot. Gosain had also received threats from the radicals and the police had the intelligence input for the same. He was not having any security from the police.

The people of Punjab are in dilemma as to what has happened to Punjab police which had fought militancy for ten years bravely and finished it making many sacrifices. A large number of policemen were also killed by the militants and their families were also eliminated by them. But they (policemen) never showed any weakness in fighting the militants.

In the present scenario, the state police setup special investigation teams (SITs) to crackdown the cases and nab the culprits but all the SITs have failed. The important cases of murder include the killing of Mata Chand Kaur widow of Namdhari Guru Jagjit Singh who was shot dead by two motor cycle borne youth at Bhaini Sahib-headquarters of the Namdhari sect.

One Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad was shot dead in Khanna in April 2016. RSS leader retired Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja was shot dead in Jalandhar in 2016. Two followers of Sacha Sauda-father-son duo were killed in February 2017, Shri Hindu Takhat district president Amit Sharma was killed in January 2017 and in June Pastor Sultan Masih was done to death in Salem Tabri area of Ludhiana. This was for the first time that a Christian priest had been targeted by the radicals.

All these incidents indicate that the radicals have been indulging in target killings. Intriguingly none of the radical groups has taken the responsibility of the eight murders which have taken place in Punjab sofar.

Besides, these murders, there had been incident of sacrilege in Faridkot and Muktsar districts which also remain unsolved. The incidents of sacrilege and police firing at Kotkapura have also entrusted to the CBI.

SAD-BJP Government setup Justice Zora Singh Commission to enquire into the incidents. Justice Zora Singh submitted his report but the government did not take any action on the same. The radicals also got an enquiry done by retired judge of the Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju who indicted the state government and Punjab police.

Now Captain Amarinder Singh has constituted a new commission headed by retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Ranjit Singh to probe the incidents of sacrilege. Justice Ranjit Singh has summoned the president of the SGPC for recording the statement of the SGPC regarding the pardon granted to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim but the SGPC is not cooperating with the commission.

All these incients in the state of Punjab have created situation of uncertainity and panic among the peace loving Punjab is who have faced the horrors of ten years of militancy. There is a feeling among the Punjabis that the Punjab police has become lax and there is lack of dedication among them. Even the command of the police force is not very strong and effective. As a matter of fact, the police force in Punjab is completely politicized thanks to Sukhbir Singh Badal who headed home department as Deputy Chief Minister and ruled as an authoritarian ruler. Wrong police elements were favoured and the genuine and good police officers were sidelined and ignored.

Enquiries made this writer have revealed that ISI of Punjab is active and is trying to help the radicals to create communal divide in Punjab. But sofar it has not succeeded in its mission because the Punjabis know ISI game plan ISI of Pakistan is strill providing shelter to some of the militant leaders who were active in Punjab militancy. They include Wadhawa Singh of Babbar Khalsa International, Paramjit Singh Panjwar of Khalistan Commando Force, Ranjit Singh Neeta of Khalistan Zindabad Force and Harjinder Singh hikacker of Indian Airlines plane. Harjinder Singh who belongs to Dal Khalsa outfit has already undergone thirteen years jail in Pakistan for hijacking under the Pakistani law.

The radicals are active in the European countries namely Germany, Belgium, France, Canada and UK. Canada and UK are stated to be hot centres of the radicals.

The sources of Punjab police claim that there is no response from the Punjabi youth for fresh recruitment and only a small number of people who are active and committing the targeted crime.

Besides, the activities of the radicals who committed these murders of political persons, there is deterioration in the law and order situation in Punjab. The snatchings and robberies are very common. Even the gangsters are active and gang wars often take place in the state. There is decline in the activities of the gangsters after the formation of the Congress government in Punjab. Political shelter which they were getting during the Akali regime has decreased.

However, the prisons in the state are now becoming the hub of the criminal activities. The major incidents are committed by the hardened criminals while sitting in jails. Inmates of the jails get all the facilities in league with the jail authorities. The jails have become the dens of corruption and the state government needs to pay immediate attention to this most vital aspect in improving the law and order.

K S Chawla is a senior journalist based at Ludhiana.

Can be reached at : [email protected]

Mobile : 99886-44244

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