SAD, BJP Leaders Condemn Punjab CM's Remarks on Gurdaspur Police Killings
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh have strongly criticized Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his comments regarding the killing of two police personnel in Gurdaspur. The political backlash centers on Mann's suggestion that the incident might have resulted from a scuffle between the officers, with opposition leaders labeling his statements as irresponsible and hypocritical.
Badal Accuses CM of Flip-Flopping and Shameless Statements
On Monday, Sukhbir Singh Badal took exception to the chief minister's remarks, stating that "every statement from Bhagwant Mann reeks of irresponsibility and hypocrisy." This came after Mann, responding to media questions on whether gangsters were involved in the killings, mentioned reports indicating the two policemen had "a scuffle with each other or something like that" and that the matter was under investigation.
Badal posted on social media platform X, highlighting what he called a contradiction in Mann's actions. "On one hand, he's announcing that the families of both martyred police personnel will receive Rs 1 crore each in government aid, and on the other hand, just a few minutes later, he issues a statement to the media saying it could be that the two of them fired at each other, and that an investigation will be conducted," Badal wrote.
He added, "This is an utterly shameless statement where the chief minister is casting doubt on the martyrdom of the police personnel just to cover up his own failure and that of his government. This flip-flopping man isn't even worthy of being called the CM with every statement he makes."
BJP Demands NIA Probe, Blames Government for Security Collapse
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh described the Gurdaspur incident as "deeply disturbing and a direct assault on the security framework of a sensitive border state." Chugh demanded an immediate investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing the police post's proximity to the Indo-Pak international border and emerging indications of possible cross-border involvement.
"The matter is far too serious to be left to a routine state-level investigation and requires a comprehensive national security inquiry to uncover any larger conspiracy," Chugh asserted. He termed the incident "a glaring collapse of the border security grid" and squarely blamed the Mann-led government for "allowing disruptive and anti-national forces to gain ground in Punjab."
Chugh pointed to a pattern of security failures, noting that the killings follow recent threats to blow up a police station in Amritsar and more than a dozen grenade attacks on police establishments across the state, including the police headquarters in Mohali. "From criminal syndicates operating from inside high-security jails to drone-based smuggling of weapons and narcotics across the border, Punjab is witnessing a dangerous normalization of lawlessness," he said.
The BJP leader questioned whether the state's intelligence apparatus has weakened or if the government's priorities lie elsewhere. "Over the last four years, Punjab's law and order situation has significantly deteriorated, with repeated gang wars, rising organized crime, and the revival of cross-border terror modules clearly indicating a fragile internal security structure," Chugh stated.
He demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's resignation, alleging that Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, had "morally forfeited his right to continue after such repeated security failures." The opposition's criticism underscores growing concerns over Punjab's security landscape and the political fallout from the Gurdaspur police killings.
