Gaurav Bhatia Accuses Bhagwant Mann of Protecting Criminals

Punjab has seen a worrying spate of killings, and the state government is under fire for its response. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the government was not only failing to curb crime but was effectively standing with criminals.

Bhatia said he was presenting the matter with a heavy heart. He claimed that law and order in Punjab had fallen apart and that residents were living in fear. He said the BJP had taken a pledge to make the state free of crime, fear and drugs, and vowed to pursue that goal.

The spokesperson accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of encouraging a culture of 'goonda raj' and 'jungle raj'. He also took aim at Arvind Kejriwal, calling him a corrupt leader and saying the AAP was carrying out a continuous pattern of wrongdoing.

To illustrate his point, Bhatia listed three violent incidents that he said had occurred in the previous 24 to 36 hours. The first was in Moga district, where two men were killed when gunmen in a black Scorpio without a number plate opened fire on them. Several others were injured.

The second case involved a 27-year-old man from Patiala district who was allegedly kidnapped in broad daylight. Bhatia said CCTV footage recorded the incident, and that despite the family's request for an FIR, no action followed. The man's body was found in Sangrur, which he identified as the Chief Minister's district.

The third case, Bhatia said, involved a youth whose hand was allegedly chopped off by men who entered his house. He said the victim had reportedly succumbed to his injuries and that the attackers had taken the severed hand to a grocery store, instructing a worker to deliver it to a written address.

Bhatia questioned whether an FIR had been filed in the Moga case, which sections had been invoked and how many arrests had been made. He said the Chief Minister had not commented. He argued that the state was becoming a haven for criminals, and asked whether the AAP had links to those responsible for the killings.

He concluded by saying that the people of Punjab had made up their minds, and that the BJP would work to create a state free of fear, crime and drugs.