Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Monday raised serious concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab, citing a petrol bomb attack on the party's office in Sangrur and a separate petrol bomb attack on a residence in Patiala as evidence of a deepening security crisis in the state.

The Attacks in Focus

The petrol bomb targeting the BJP office in Sangrur has drawn particular attention because Sangrur is the home district of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio. Dhillon argued that if criminal elements could strike with impunity in the Chief Minister's own constituency, the rest of the state could hardly be considered secure. A concurrent petrol bomb attack on a private house in Patiala compounded concerns about the spread of targeted violence.

A Pattern of Escalating Incidents

Dhillon described the two attacks not as isolated events but as part of a sustained pattern of violence across Punjab. He cited a series of prior incidents to support his case, including a grenade attack on a police station in Moga, an explosion near the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in Jalandhar, a grenade attack on the state BJP office in Chandigarh, a grenade attack on the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar, an attack on a temple in Amritsar, the attack on the Gumtala police post in Amritsar, an RPG attack on Sarhali police station, an RPG attack on the Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, and a hand grenade attack on Bhindi Saidan Police Station in Amritsar, among others.

BJP's Charge Against the AAP Government

The state BJP chief questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's capacity to protect citizens, arguing that daily incidents of explosions, attacks, robberies, murders, and bloodshed demonstrated a systemic failure of governance. Dhillon said that when police stations, the Intelligence Headquarters, religious sites, and political offices were themselves coming under attack, 'the safety of ordinary citizens was effectively left to fate.'

He further charged that the government 'remains busy making hollow claims about peace and law and order and engaging in false propaganda, the ground reality is that criminals are operating fearlessly.' The AAP government has not yet issued a formal response to these specific allegations, according to available reports.

Broader Security Implications

The string of high-profile incidents — spanning RPG strikes, grenade attacks, and petrol bombs — points to a sustained challenge for Punjab's security apparatus. The state has historically been sensitive to cross-border militancy and organised crime networks, and analysts have noted that the frequency and variety of these incidents marks a worrying escalation. This comes amid ongoing national debate over border-state security frameworks and the adequacy of state police resources.

With the BJP pressing the issue ahead of future electoral cycles, pressure on the Mann government to demonstrate a credible security response is likely to intensify in the days ahead.