35 dead, over 100 hospitalised after consuming illicit liquor in Tamil Nadu
Chandigarh/ Chamkaur Sahib/ Ropar, January 7: Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi today called upon Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to own up moral responsibility as the home minister for the criminal lapse by police in handling the situation leading to the attack by terrorists on Pathankot air base as pointed out by the National Investigating Agency rather than thumping his own back shamelessly. While addressing the media on the sidelines of Padyatra of Punjab youth congress, Channi asserted it had now been established that the Punjab police wasted crucial 13 hours before launching operations as Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh was not taken seriously by his superior’s upto the level of IG (Border range) Aloknath Angra. He was rather mocked at by his superiors going by the reports now coming out.
He said with the NIA recommending action against the state police officials directly connected to this lapse was a serious development as it reflected not just the incompetence of these officials posted in sensitive area but also mishandling of the police force by Sukhbir who was responsible for its politicization. He pointed out that Salwinder Singh had reported his kidnapping at 3.30 in the morning but he was not taken seriously by his superiors and continued to treat the information as his drama, thereby wasting crucial time that enabled the terrorist to reach Pathankot air base.
He said by the time the police came into action and informed the centre, it was too late and it was not without reason that state police chief Suresh Arora too had now ordered probe into the functioning of the police officials in the districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot. The CLP leader said rather than owning up moral responsibility, Sukhbir was strangely defending not only these officers but himself too as he could not escape the blame.
Channi stressed it was no use seeking Sukhbir’s resignation time and again as he happened to be too thick skinned and he himself had been committing such blunders going by what had been happening in the state during the last several months in particular, what to talk of the entire period of his being in office. He said it is the people who would teach him and his party a lesson for playing with the state.
The padyatra by Punjab youth congress today entered the Chamkaur Sahib constituency from Behrampur village where senior party leaders Smt Ambika Soni, S Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, S kuljit Nagra participated in the yatra till morinda alongwith the S Amarpreet Singh Lally and his youth congress team. All the congress leadership took pledge to name the Mohali international airport in the name of Shaheed E Azam Bhagat Singh. They also praised the efforts by the Punjab youth congress for making this yatra a success and wished them best of luck also.
