Government should check rising crime in the state: Harpal Cheema

Chandigarh, February  6: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has expressed its grave concern over the spurt in crime rate in the state, saying that the Capt Amarinder Singh government should take an urgent call on the issue to ensure safety and security of the people.

In a statement issued from party headquarters in Chandigarh here on Wednesday, leader of opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Harpal Singh Cheema said that the law and order situation in the state had gone for a toss, with the deaf government sleeping over the matter, jeopardizing precious lives of the law-abiding people of the state.

That the state had earned a dubious distinction of being a crime capital is no secret now, with the government turning a blind eye to the alarming situation, Cheema quipped. He further said that the government should initiate immediate measures to check it sooner than later lest it should slip out of hands to tackle, Cheema said.

Citing certain recent incidents of crime, Cheema said that, in a daring attack on two siblings in Jalandhar by armed miscreants, killing one of them,had sent shock waves across the district. In another incident, Cheema said, rupees four lakh were looted from a woman and her son Sangrur at gunpoint in broad day light. In another incident, a cab driver was attacked with sharp-edged weapon in Batala.

Cheema further said that an ASI rank officer was attacked at Jandiala in Amritsar with baseball bats, following which police had to open fire in defense, and so on and so forth. Cheema said that the government should come out of its supine pastures and take an urgent call on the deteriorating law and order situation to ensure the people could live in peace and without any threat to their lives.