The Haryana Assembly on Tuesday witnessed a stormy debate on the state’s law and order situation, with Congress legislators launching a scathing attack on the BJP government and accusing Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of failing to uphold his “Raj Dharma.”

There is fear in society

“There is fear in society. When you open a school, you close a jail — but here principals are being killed.” — BB Batra, Congress MLA

CM must respond

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“Mob lynchings with Muslims have happened. Bengali Muslims were detained for days in Gurugram. The CM must respond.” — Aftab Ahmed, Nuh MLA

Moving an adjournment motion, Congress MLAs alleged that crime was spiralling out of control and fear had gripped ordinary citizens. Jhajjar MLA Geeta Bhukkal opened the debate with a sharp attack on the government: “The CM is also the Home Minister, yet he was absent during this discussion. Traders are threatened for ransom, liquor vends couldn’t be auctioned for fear of gangsters and even MLAs are being threatened. Women and children don’t feel safe. Even from jail, extortion calls are being made.”

Bhukkal cited recent incidents to back her charge: the Manisha murder case in Bhiwani, firing on a family in Jind where two young girls were hit by bullets, the murder of a BJP leader’s son in Safidon, the July 14 firing on singer Rahul Fazalpuri in Gurugram, the stabbing death of a woman at Rohtak railway station on July 11, and the murder of a school principal in Hisar on July 10. She also listed the killing of a liquor contractor in Jind on June 21, the burning of a woman in Faridabad on the same day, a jeweller’s extortion call of Rs 2 crore in Hisar on June 19 and another liquor contractor’s murder on June 13 in Kurukshetra.

“Forty murders in Jind, 46 in Faridabad, 38 in Gurugram and 30 in Panipat in the last 5-6 months alone. Is this Raj Dharma?” she asked, concluding her remarks.

Rohtak MLA BB Batra underlined the larger climate of fear: “It is not about how many FIRs have been registered. There is fear in society. When you open a school, you close a jail — but here principals are being killed and molestation incidents are rising, while crores are being spent on ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.’ Haryana is a state where women are scared of wearing jewellery and security has to be hired for marriages.” He accused the government of ignoring crimes like food adulteration, corruption, illegal mining and the mushrooming of illegal colonies.

Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed struck a sharper note, raising issues of communal targeting. “Mob lynchings with Muslims have happened. Shops and houses have been burnt. A youth in Palwal was killed just for being a Muslim. Bengali Muslims were detained for three days in Gurugram on suspicion of being Bangladeshis. Ransom calls are rampant. The CM must respond and ensure the safety of the people,” he demanded.

Ahmed also hit back at BJP MLAs who sought to counter by citing crime data from the Hooda-led Congress government (2005-14): “They are trying to confuse the House with old figures. The latest NCRB data shows crimes against Dalits have increased from 2014 to 2022. The situation is disturbing and the government must admit it.”

The treasury benches countered the charges, but the absence of the Chief Minister during the debate drew repeated criticism from the Opposition.