Can Union Home Minister Amit Shah Help Curb Extortion and Gang Violence in Punjab?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Urgent intervention needed to address the rising crime in Punjab.
- Gangsters are threatening both business owners and politicians.
- The situation has created an atmosphere of fear among the population.
- High-profile incidents like the murder of Sidhu Moosewala highlight the seriousness of the issue.
- Government action is critical to restore safety in the state.
New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana, urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to intervene in curbing extortion and to enhance the law-and-order situation in Punjab.
Warring expressed that there is a climate of fear prevailing throughout Punjab. "Individuals, particularly business owners, are receiving threatening calls from overseas and from inmates, demanding ransom," he stated.
“Those who refuse to comply with the ransom demands are being killed. A recent incident in Ludhiana saw a shooting in broad daylight during a wedding, resulting from a gang conflict around 1:30 p.m., involving crossfire between rival gangs and innocent guests,” he observed.
The Congress MP criticized the Shiromani Akali Dal for endorsing a gangster by awarding him a ticket, thus permitting criminals to infiltrate politics.
“Gangsters are now brazenly contacting sarpanches, coercing them over the phone to secure votes. The scenario has escalated to the point where gangsters are threatening politicians and bureaucrats,” he elaborated.
Warring also condemned a recent decision to keep a notorious gangster confined in another state's jail, limiting his transport for trial in other jurisdictions.
“Punjab is in turmoil, and the authorities seem powerless to act,” he remarked.
“Despite these ongoing issues, the state government and police have remained passive observers. In light of this, I appeal to the Home Minister to take action and save Punjab,” he urged.
The murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 was one of the most notorious incidents that highlighted the escalating activities of gangsters in Punjab, drawing attention to the actions of the Lawrence Bishnoi-Gold Brar syndicate.
In November 2024, international gangster Anmol Bishnoi, sibling of the incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was apprehended in California for illegally entering the country and was subsequently repatriated to India.
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which interrogated Anmol, he is a significant member of the BKI-Bishnoi gangster syndicate and has actively participated in its operations. His alleged links to Khalistani groups, along with his role in a broader criminal network, are under investigation.
Anmol faces numerous criminal charges, including conspiracy in the murder of former Maharashtra Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique, who was gunned down in Mumbai last October.
Earlier, Congress Member of Parliament and former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa claimed that jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuriya threatened to kill his son, alleging that his son was subsequently fired upon shortly after the threat in Punjab.