‘Law, order deteriorating’, Sena leaders demand President’s rule

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) leaders have held the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab responsible for the worsening law and order situation across the state. Addressing the media here today, Ashwani Sharma, state spokesperson of the Shiv Sena Punjab, and state secretary Narinder Rathour expressed serious concern over what they described as an alarming rise in incidents of violence, targeted killings and unchecked criminal activities.

The leaders pointed to a series of recent incidents, including the broad-daylight murder of Naveen Arora of the RSS in Ferozepur, the killing of two persons in separate shooting incidents in Banga and Amritsar, the shooting of a woman in Kapurthala, and the attack on a senior Hindu organisation leader and his son in Phagwara on Tuesday evening. According to them, these incidents clearly reflect a collapsing law and order situation in the state. They added that Hindu leaders continue to receive frequent threat calls, while the police allegedly fail to take any concrete action.

Accusing the ruling party of fostering an environment of unrest, Shiv Sena functionaries claimed that the violence is taking place under the “patronage” of those in power with the intent to disturb communal harmony and divide society along religious lines. They argued that the deliberate targeting of Hindus paints a grim picture of security conditions in a sensitive border state.

State press secretary Kamal Saroj further criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home Affairs portfolio, alleging that he has remained silent despite the deteriorating situation. Instead of addressing rising insecurity, he claimed the government is more focused on “false propaganda” to prepare for the 2027 Assembly elections. Saroj demanded that the Centre immediately dismiss the AAP government and impose President’s Rule to restore peace and provide relief to people who, he said, have been suffering for the past four years. — TNS