On March 21, while hearing the habeas corpus petition on Amritpal Singh, Punjab and Haryana High Court pulled up the Punjab  government and police for lapses in handling the case and termed  the delay in arresting the fugitive separatist preacher and “Waris Punjab De’ chief  Amritpal Singh   as failure of intelligence .  

“You have 80,000 cops. What were they doing?  How did Amritpal Singh escape?” the High Court asked the Punjab government. 

Responding to the court the state government told that National Security Act (NSA) has been imposed on the separatist leader and the government is  trying its best to nab the fleeing Amritpal Singh.

A crowd of miscreants, swaying swords and firearms, under the mentorship of Amritpal Singh, captured Ajnala Police station on February 23 , threatening the police and government with adverse consequences if Amritpal’s aide was not released.

The aide was released on the same day, but even after passing of more than three weeks of the incident it seems that the police or the government did nothing to arrest the miscreants. Police launched its operation to nab Amritpal Singh on March 18 and the main accused Amritpal Singh is still at large. 

Here the question arises -Ajnala incident happened on February 23 and the operation arrest was launched on March 18, why an inordinate delay? what for the police and government waited for more than three weeks ? And even on the day of operation arrest, how Amritpal managed to escape, whereas many others caught into the net? The worthy High Court rightly questioned, “You are having 80000 cops, what they were doing? How Amritpal escaped?

The delay & dilemma situation of the government and police creates doubts.

Just after taking over the reign of the state on March 16, 2022, in a law & order review meeting held on April 5, CM Bhagwant Mann outlined his government’s topmost focus to maintain law and order, apart from eradication of corruption and implementation of welfare measures for the police force. He also announced the constitution of an Anti-Gangster Task Force in the state. 

After completion of one year, an official release dated March 15, 2023 claimed the success story by giving data.

The release claims that the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), since its formation on April 6, 2022, has succeeded in busting 162 gangster/criminal modules after arresting 582 gangsters/criminals and neutralising five, after recovering 586 weapons, 131 vehicles used in criminal activities.

DGP Gaurav Yadav claimed that there were six major heinous crime incidents including an RPG attack at Intelligence Headquarters building at Mohali; Murder of Punjabi Singer Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moosewala; Killing of Bargari sacrilege accused Pardeep Kumar; RPG attack at PS Sarhali, Tarn Taran; Killings of Sudhir Suri and Bhupinder Singh Chawla alias Timmy Chawla, that took place since April 2022, and the Punjab Police have managed to effectively solve all these cases in a record time.

The success story needs appreciation for the police force, but this success itself reflects that how worse the situation of the state is and why the release didn’t mention the dark side story of the Ajnala incident ? The high fever always cautions that there is something wrong in the body and we must take timely medications before the chronic disease grips the body. But the Punjab government failed to smell the rotting garbage in time and a blot stamping incident occurred in Ajnala.

Emergence of a hardcore separatist Amritpal Singh and Ajnala Police Station incident blackened the whole success story of the state government and dashed down all the claims of the government about its law & order policy, which gave chance to the opposition parties to flak over.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a series of tweets on March 20, 2023, slammed the AAP government and said, “ Govt led by S Parkash Singh Badal had pulled the state out of the bloody cycle of terror & repression and started an era of peace & progress. But the govts that followed have pushed Punjab back into the jaws of insecurity and repression reminiscent of the dark and tragic era.”

 Warning the AAP government, Badal said, “SAD strongly condemns the puppet AAP regime in Punjab for the undeclared emergency and reign of repression & terror let loose in the state. We warn the govt against dangerous conspiracies to defame the most patriotic Sikh community for communal polarization & electoral gains.”

Just on the next day, on February 24, after the Ajnala police station capture by some miscreants on February 23, BJP Punjab president Ashwani Sharma , on his face book page , writes , “ The more harsh words we condemn yesterday’s incident in Ajnala, the lesser it is. Bhagwant Mann Government has failed to establish law and order in Punjab. The country runs by law, by constitution, no person or organization has the right to take law in their hands. Taking the support of Guru Sahib Ji’s Palki Sahib to occupy the police station and use weapons is not this disrespect of Guru Sahib Ji? Peace and tranquillity have been established in Punjab after many sacrifices, Sikh religious leaders and Sikh intellectuals need to intervene in this matter.”

Punjab State congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, in his tweet on March 1, states, “The seige & attack on Ajnala Police station is an unprecedented incident & the guilty must be put behind bars. The inaction of Punjab Govt has demoralised our martial Punjab Police.”

On Feb 27 Raja Warring asked CM Maan, “When will you act against Amritpal, Bhagwant Mann Sahab? What are you scared of? If you don’t take any action against him, we in INC Punjab will be forced to come out on streets. We won’t let go hard-earned peace of Punjab. Nip the evil in the bud.”

On the other hand,  the Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhawant Maan while denying opposition charges claimed on March 21, in a video message, that the state is in safe and firm hands and severest of severe action is being taken against those conspiring to disturb peace, amity, communal harmony and brotherhood in the state. He said that some anti-national elements had hobnobbed with the foreign forces to put the state on boil by disturbing its hard earned peace. But no one will be allowed to cast a malicious eye on the peace, progress and prosperity of the state.

Whatever the Chief Minister claims or says, reality is that the Ajnala incident and steps taken thereafter clearly show the inefficient& ineffective handling of the issue by the Punjab government. This will surely reflect the gloomy, tardy and  sluggish picture of the AAP government on National as well as on International platforms . 

Jag Mohan Thaken is a Haryana based retired Senior Bank Manager, views are personal