Garhi condemns attack on AAP leader Raju, vows strict action against criminals

Punjab Scheduled Caste Commission Chairman Jasveer Singh Garhi on Sunday issued a stern warning to criminal elements in Punjab, asserting that the AAP-led state government would not yield to intimidation by drug smugglers or gangster networks targeting leaders of anti-drug campaigns.

Speaking to the media after visiting the residence of Daljit Raju, the coordinator of Yudh Nasheya Virudh in Phagwara, Garhi said that the entire AAP leadership stands firmly behind Raju and remains committed to intensifying the ongoing battle against drugs. He stated that the government’s aggressive crackdown has severely crippled the drug mafia, provoking desperate retaliatory moves from those who have suffered major setbacks due to the campaign.

Garhi recalled how criminal elements, allegedly guided by gangsters operating from within jails, attempted to terrorise Raju in the early hours of November 27. On the intervening night of November 26 and 27, two unidentified assailants arrived at Raju’s residence and unleashed 23 to 24 rounds of gunfire, before fleeing into the darkness. The incident shocked the local community, especially because Raju has been leading a vigorous anti-drug movement that has disrupted the networks of both drug peddlers and gangster operatives in the region. According to Garhi, the attack was a direct consequence of the substantial damage inflicted by Raju and his team on illegal drug activities in Phagwara, prompting criminal elements to resort to violent intimidation.

He informed the media that the Phagwara Police, under the supervision of SP Madhvi Sharma, had already arrested three suspects connected to the case and were actively pursuing further leads that could soon result in the arrest of the shooters themselves.

He added that the state apparatus was fully prepared to respond strongly to any attempt by the mafia to obstruct the progress being made.