Crime surge in Phagwara: Rising violence, investigation lapses shake public confidence

As Punjab prepares for the festive season, the bright lights of celebration are clouded by a disturbing rise in crime and an increasingly critical judiciary questioning the state’s policing standards. From a surge in shooting incidents and gang activity in Phagwara to a High Court reprimand over wrongful arrest in Kapurthala, the developments together underscore a growing crisis of the law enforcement credibility in the region.

Phagwara, a city once known for its vibrant business community and communal harmony, has in recent days been rattled by a spate of violent incidents — assaults on police personnel, armed robberies, and repeated firing episodes in nearby villages. The most shocking incident occurred on the night of October 14, when two Punjab Police officials — Constable Jatinder Singh and Sub-Inspector Shiv Raj Chahal — were brutally attacked near City Heart by a group led by Gurpreet Singh, alias Happy. The officials, who were responding to reports of gunfire, sustained serious injuries as the attackers used sharp weapons and issued threats against their families. A case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused. Superintendent of Police (SP) Madhvi Sharma assured that no one involved in the assault on the police personnel would be spared.

The tension due to this incident has deepened across surrounding villages. Bohani village, for instance, witnessed two firing incidents in five days — one injuring a dairy worker, another targeting the shop of the local sarpanch. Similarly, in Eastwood village, a bouncer named Sandeep Kumar narrowly escaped death after being shot at by nine armed men. The police suspect personal enmity behind the incident and named one accused in the FIR registered in this connection.

Even as the Phagwara police report arrests in a recent robbery case, the series of attacks has left residents fearful and opposition leaders accusing the government of losing grip on the law and order in the region.

Amid this unsettling backdrop, the Punjab and Haryana High Court delivered a stern message to the Police Department, expressing displeasure over investigative lapses that resulted in an innocent man spending four months in jail.

The court, while hearing a bail plea in a Kapurthala drugs seizure case, found that the substance recovered from the accused, Sandeep Kumar, was later proven by the Forensic Science Laboratory to be a mix of paracetamol, diclofenac and melatonin — none of which falls under the NDPS Act.

In a sharply worded order, Justice Surya Pratap Singh observed, “There has been a very serious lapse on the part of the investigating officer, who put the petitioner behind bars on the basis of an unfounded and unsubstantiated suspicion. The personal life and liberty of every human being is of paramount importance, but in the case in hand, the things appear to be otherwise.” The court directed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala, to initiate departmental proceedings against Inspector Usha Rani, who led the search and arrest, and to submit an action-taken report by January.

The twin developments — the surge in violent crime in Phagwara and the judiciary’s open censure of police misconduct in Kapurthala — have exposed deep cracks in Punjab’s law enforcement machinery. Political leaders across parties, including Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, former Union Ministers Som Parkash and Vijay Sampla, and SAD leader Ranjit Singh Khurana, have accused the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government of failing to maintain order. They demanded stronger night patrols, intelligence coordination and accountability within the police force.

Responding to the criticism, SP Madhvi Sharma maintained that multiple police teams were working round the clock and “strong and swift action” was being taken to restore peace in the region. “The police will not rest until the culprits are behind bars,” she said, urging public cooperation. As Punjab’s courts remind the police of their duty to protect both security and liberty, the message is clear — justice cannot coexist with negligence. The challenge before the state now lies not only in curbing the violence that threatens its festive calm, but also in rebuilding trust that a vigilant judiciary and anxious citizens expect from their protectors.