Mann draws flak for his remarks over martyrdom of cops

Chandigarh: Taking exception to Punjab chief minister's remarks that "a scuffle with each other or something like that" might have led to the killing of two police personnel in Gurdaspur, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said "every statement from Bhagwant Mann reeks of irresponsibility and hypocrisy".Replying to a media question on whether the killing of police personnel was the handiwork of gangsters, the CM had said there were some reports which suggested that the two policemen had "a scuffle with each other or something like that" and that the matter was under investigation.
Badal posted on X: "On one hand, he's announcing that the families of both martyred police personnel will receive Rs 1 crore each in govt aid, and on the other hand, just a few minutes later, he issues a statement to the media saying it could be that the two of them fired at each other, and that an investigation will be conducted."He added: "This is an utterly shameless statement where the chief minister is casting doubt on the martyrdom of the police personnel just to cover up his own failure and that of his govt. This flip-flopping man isn't even worthy of being called the CM with every statement he makes."BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh described the incident as "deeply disturbing and a direct assault on the security framework of a sensitive border state".Chugh demanded an immediate probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing "the proximity of the police post to the Indo-Pak international border and the emerging indications of possible cross-border involvement".He said: "The matter is far too serious to be left to a routine state-level investigation and requires a comprehensive national security inquiry to uncover any larger conspiracy."Terming the incident "a glaring collapse of the border security grid", Chugh squarely blamed the Mann-led govt for "allowing disruptive and anti-national forces to gain ground in Punjab".He said: "The killings come close on the heels of recent threats to blow up a police station in Amritsar and follow more than a dozen grenade attacks on police establishments across the state, including the police headquarters in Mohali. From criminal syndicates operating from inside high-security jails to drone-based smuggling of weapons and narcotics across the border, Punjab is witnessing a dangerous normalisation of lawlessness."Chugh questioned: "Whether the intelligence apparatus in the state has weakened or whether the govt's priorities lie elsewhere?""Over the last four years, Punjab's law and order situation has significantly deteriorated, with repeated gang wars, rising organised crime, and the revival of cross-border terror modules clearly indicating a fragile internal security structure," said the BJP leader.Chug demanded Mann's resignation, alleging that the CM, who also holds the home portfolio, had "morally forfeited his right to continue after such repeated security failures".MSID:: 128716415 413 |