Gang culture

IT took the killing of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala in May last year for the police to initiate a crackdown on hardened criminals who have organised themselves into trigger-happy gangs. Every now and then, statements and interviews — apparently from inside a jail in one case — surface of notorious criminals giving their version of their gruesome deeds, and even talking of their next targets. Media reports have a significant impact on public perception about crime and criminals. The advice to exercise restraint and desist from glamourising criminal elements is often ignored. But how does one make sense of the persistence of the gang culture in a state like Punjab, where militancy was wiped out? Is naivety inherent in the question about gangs getting a free run to spread fear about their ability to cause harm at will?

Organised crime thrives on creating images of power, money and ruthlessness. In line with movies that end up romanticising the antihero, the gangster is eager to cultivate a persona of a self-made individual living life on his own terms. For the youth, especially, the pull can be enticing. Taking on the perpetrators of dreadful crimes and exposing them for who they really are is a relentless battle. Despite being known for having its ears to the ground, the Punjab Police have been found wanting in taming gangsters. If political patronage is the reason for this, administrative indifference also cannot escape blame. The proliferation of networks indulging in narco-terror, arms smuggling, murders, kidnappings, protection money rackets as well as illegal land deals hints at chinks in the law and order setup.

A start has been made to rein in the frightful gun culture. The task of curbing the gang culture demands an action-oriented strategy of constant vigil, informed liaison between governments and, most of all, political will.