Bomb blast: Congress, BJP lambast Punjab's AAP govt for poor law & order; Shwait Malik seeks NIA probe

Opposition parties today flayed the AAP-led state government for what they described as the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab in general and Amritsar in particular.

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Holding the state government responsible for the deterioration in law and order, Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla said Punjab officials were busy hosting the people of Delhi and were unable to ensure the safety of their own folks.

He elaborated that Amritsar has been in a state of shock for three days. First, the murder of a councillor, then the murder of a money exchanger and today the grenade blast! He wondered why the police are not able to catch the culprits earlier. Where are the counter-intelligence and intelligence agencies of Punjab, the MP asked and said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should suspend the officials responsible, otherwise he should take responsibility for the deteriorating situation himself.

Aujla said the Punjab government was focusing only on elections instead of paying attention to the safety of the people. Amritsar being a tourist area, law and order has a direct impact on the arrival of tourists, he said and appealed to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to pay attention to Punjab because the situation was continuously deteriorating.

Former president of state BJP, Shwait Malik, also a former Rajya Sabha member, said the BJP strongly condemned the breakdown of law and order across Punjab, especially in the Majha region. A powerful bomb blast on the Majitha Road left one person injured and created panic. This came a day after 70-year-old currency trader Kuldeep Bansal was brutally murdered and robbed of Rs 11 lakh in broad daylight. Earlier, a Shiromani Akali Dal councillor was killed.

Malik sought an NIA probe into the Amritsar blast and recent killings in Majha region and sounding of high alert across all border districts. He also demanded a public statement from CM Bhagwant Mann on the worsening security situation. “This is not just incompetence, it is criminal negligence. The AAP leadership is busy with PR and photo-ops while Punjab burns,” Malik said.