One month after the sensational Nabha jailbreak, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday sought an explanation from Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal about the whereabouts of five gangsters who managed to escape on November 27 in a “stage managed” attack by group of over dozen gangsters.
AAP Sangrur MP and Election Campaign Committee chairman Bhagwant Mann said that neither the escapee gangsters and nor those involved in attack on high security jail are arrested so far.
“Two accused, one the terrorist Harminder Singh Mintoo and one conspirator Palwinder Singh Pinda, were arrested by Delhi and Utttar Pradesh Police respectively after they crossed over the Punjab border. Punjab Police was not able to trace any of them even as there is strong possibility that all the escapee gangsters are hiding in Punjab,” he said while accusing the Punjab Police for working under political pressure and not laying hands of criminal gangs.
“Since Sukhbir is home Minister of the State, he is directly responsible for jailbreak and extending political patronage to the escapees,” alleged Mann adding that Sukhbir and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia were shielding the criminal gangs.
Mann stated that Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi, who had blamed Sukhbir Badal for facilitating the escape of gangsters from jail, are also maintaining conspicuous silence on the issue.
He said that SAD and Congress had conspired to scare the AAP leaders and feared that gangsters might be used to threat or eliminate the APP candidates and leaders. Sangrur MP added that Majithia had recruited large number of criminal elements into Youth Akali Dal. There were numerous cases of Akali goons scaring, looting and killing innocent people and police was mute spectator to it, he said.
Mann also blamed Sukhbir for sacrilege of holy Guru Granth Sahib, holy Quran and holy Geeta at various places in Punjab to create communal tension so that SAD may reap the political gains.