Taking the 18-month-old Virbhadra Singh-led State Government to task, leader of the Opposition, Prem Kumar Dhumal said that misuse of police and bureaucratic machinery for political purposes had emboldened criminal elements which led to deterioration of law and order machinery in the State.
The former Chief Minister has pointed out that in some districts, there had been five transfers of district collectors (DCs) and Superintendent of Police (SPs) within the span of 18 months, making a mockery of the district administration and rendering it practically ineffective.After the humiliating defeat in lok Sabha elections where all four Congress candidates, including the Chief Ministers’ wife Pratibha Singh, lost to the BJP, the Government was holding officers responsible and punishing them with transfers, alleged Dhumal. He alleged that criminal elements were being given political patronage.
“In such a short span of the Congress government rule, the way the contraband business of drugs has expanded is shameful for a peaceful state like Himachal Pradesh,” Dhumal stated.Expressing concern over the deteriorating law and order conditions, Dhumal said, “The erosion in law and order in the past 18 months has been unprecedented. The people are living in terror and fear from criminal elements who have been given a free run.”
He added that the police was mainly deployed in victimising political opponents under the guise of investigating a ‘false chargesheet’.He claimed that for the entire period, the Virbhadra Government was in power, there had been no police crackdown on corruption nor have they bothered to pursue registered corruption cases.
“So far, this Government has not been able to lay hands on a single trap case, and it shows with what seriousness the Government is handling corruption,” he said.Dhumal, while reminding the Government that maintaining law and order was the first duty of the State, asked the authorities to take immediate action to rein in criminals and anti-social elements.