New Delhi, 29 October (H.S.): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national office in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh has launched a sharp attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led government in Punjab over what he described as the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.

Tarun Chugh alleged that Punjab was going through a grave law-and-order crisis and accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, of failing to address the situation adequately.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Thursday, Tarun Chugh claimed that 23 police stations in Punjab had been targeted in grenade attacks. He also alleged that a rocket-propelled grenade attack had been carried out on the Punjab Police headquarters.

“The uniform and the police station are the two assurances of security for an ordinary citizen,”Tarun Chugh said, arguing that attacks on police establishments had undermined public confidence in the state’s security apparatus.

He further claimed that police stations in villages were being fortified with tin and mesh barriers to prevent grenades from being thrown inside. According to him, such measures reflected the atmosphere of fear in which police stations were operating. He also alleged that police personnel travelling home in uniform were being issued notices advising them against doing so.

Tarun Chugh accused the state government of failing to protect police officers, alleging that attacks on personnel, the circulation of videos showing such incidents and the posting of footage of grenade attacks had become commonplace. He further charged that the Punjab government had surrendered to criminal networks and the mafia.

The BJP leader also alleged that drug trafficking had spread across Punjab, claiming that narcotics were being sold in streets, neighbourhoods and villages. He accused the Bhagwant Mann-led government and the state administration of failing to curb the drug trade and dismantle its supply networks.

Tarun Chugh’s remarks formed part of the BJP’s criticism of the Punjab government’s handling of law and order and the drug menace in the state.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar