Chandigarh: Congress MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday slammed the AAP govt, demanding clarity on the proposed sacrilege law and raising concerns over the state’s law and order situation.He said the govt must spell out whether the law will be implemented effectively or “lose its impact while moving from Kharar to Chandigarh”. Randhawa also demanded that older sacrilege cases be brought under the ambit of the new law so victims can get justice.He questioned whether cases shifted to Chandigarh would fall under the law and urged the govt to clarify its position.Expressing concern over law and order, Randhawa alleged that “gangsters and terrorists, under the protection of the govt, are working together to disturb the state’s atmosphere”.Citing a recent robbery in Gurdaspur, he said a jeweller was looted of around Rs 8 crore and shots were fired, while police were “nowhere to be seen”. He said police later arrested two accused and recovered about Rs 1.75 crore, but the main accused remains absconding.Calling it the fourth major robbery in Gurdaspur city, Randhawa said the incident reflected a worsening law and order situation.He also claimed that during his visit from Amritsar to the Gurdaspur border, he did not see a single police checkpoint and found several police stations without officers present. Police stations, he alleged, had been turned into “bunkers”, creating fear among the public.Raising concerns over jail administration, Randhawa said, “This is the first time in Punjab that gangsters are being openly promoted and given special facilities.” He questioned chief minister Bhagwant Mann over the lack of action against officials.
