With links traced to politicians & cops, who will rein in gangsters?

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 1

The killing of gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Singh Bhullar alias Rocky and later raving about the murder on Facebook by the rival gang, with one of the posts even threatening an SSP, has thrown an open challenge to the police.

The way the gangsters have operated in last two years, it seems they have scant respect for law and no fear of the police. They have dared to free a fellow gang member by attacking a police team, killed another in police custody, freely took revenge from rivals, talked about it on the social media and to cap it even challenged the police.

While the gangsters seem to be getting all facilities in jails, the police seem to be fighting against them with hands tied. Department sources reveal many gangsters were linked to some influential police officer or a politician.

“They enjoy patronage of the mighty. We can handle them in minutes if there is no pressure from the top,” said a police official not wishing to be quoted.

“The police seem to be happy in a way that the gangsters are killing each other instead of public or police, but now they are openly challenging the police, this is serious,” the official said.

The current gang rivalry began with the killing of gangster Shera by the Bathinda police in 2012. Since then, the members of the Shera gang were on his prowl and they managed to strike outside Punjab yesterday.

The brutal killing of Abohar Dalit Bhim Tank is another such incident of a brazen crime. In another case, Nishan Singh kidnapped a girl from her house at gunpoint in the presence of her parents. Later, he was allegedly helped by a police official.

The gangsters have been plotting against each other even from inside the jails. Many have been caught using internet and mobile phones in Kapurthala jail.