The ruling SAD-BJP Government in Punjab is on the backfoot on back-to-back cases of lawlessness in the State with the alleged involvement of two of its leaders in these incidents. Ironically, one of these incidents took place in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home turf, lambi.
Twenty-seven-year-old Bhim Sain died allegedly at the farmhouse of a SAD leader and liquor baron Shiv lal Doda in Abohar after his limbs were amputated in a gang rivalry. Another of his accomplice too met the same fate as his one hand and one leg was chopped off and he is fighting for his life in a hospital.
To make the matters worse, 12-year-old Arshdeep Kaur was crushed under a bus allegedly belonging to SAD’s Gidderbaha in-charge Hardeep Singh ‘Dimpy’ Dhillon in lambi. The villagers who were sitting on protest had to face police midnight police action as her body was forcibly taken to hospital and a compromise thrashed in the presence of police officials. Police claimed 14 people have been booked, some arrested even though the main accused Doda is at large.
As the twin incidents attracted nationwide criticism against the ruling regime, SAD’s ally, Bharatiya Janata Party, has demanded a “strictest punishment” for the culprits of these acts.
The main Opposition parties — the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — have lashed out at the SAD-BJP regime seeking action against the culprits and also seeking Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister’s resignation.
While senior Congress leader and Abohar MlA Sunil Jakhar had alleged that the criminals enjoyed the backing of Doda as well as the police, AAP MP from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann came down heavily over the ruling combine’s inaction and the police authorities for “dragging a girl’s body on the road, mindlessly firing at protesters, burning a bus which crushed her”.
Defending itself, the Akali Dal has asked the Congress and other opposition parties not to be cynical in causing and exploiting caste divisions in the people out of cheap and unscrupulous pursuit of power. Condemning the two incidences of lambi and Abohar, Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma on Monday demanded strictest punishment for the culprits.
“BJP has demanded from the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister to ensure strictest ever punishment for the culprits involved in killing of two Dalits in these two different cases,” he said.
Sharma said that a BJP delegation, led by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Parkash and party’s SC Cell in-charge Dr Dilbag Singh, would visit the families of the victims on Tuesday. Besides, Union Minister Vijay Sampla would also visit the victim’s family in Abohar.
He said that the accused involved in these cases may belong to any political party but all are equal before the court of law.
SAD, on the other hand, maintained that the Congress and some other organisations were trying to give a caste colouring to the Abohar incident which was essentially “a case of gang rivalry in which members of Dalit communities also featured on both sides”.
The Government was determined to deal firmly with the unlawful elements, said SAD general secretary Harcharan Singh Bains. He said that Congress was trying to distort facts to paint the issue as casteist to score brownie political points. “The killing of dalit youth at Abohar was the result of group rivalry and the administration has acted promptly effectively and come down on culprits with a heavy hand,” he said.
Bains added that if anyone was found guilty of causing hurt or injury to the sentiments of any community, he or she would not be spared and would be dealt with under the strictest provisions of law.