Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann begins firefight: Cancels Cabinet meeting, MLAs’ training; pulls up DGP

With Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh writing a letter to Mann, demanding his son’s murder should be probed by a sitting high court judge, and NIA or CBI, besides taking exception to DGP VK Bhawra linking the murder to a gang war, the CM directed the state police chief to issue a clarification.

The DGP, who invited criticism Sunday for rushing out of press conference without answering media queries on the murder, gave out a clarification that he never associated Moosewala with any gang or gang war. Bhawra, at the same same time, blamed the media for distorting his statement.

Later in the day Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan postponed a three-day training session of MLAs which was scheduled from May 31.

Sandhwan told The Indian Express, “I have deferred it as some MLAs were not available on Tuesday. We have deferred it for now. We will reschedule it in two-three days.”

Sources said the government postponed the training as Moosewala’s family is yet to cremate him. While Punjab Congress leaders are camping at Moosewala’s residence, the government has been trying to find a way to impress upon the family to cremate him peacefully. However, a Congress leader said, “We agreed to get his postmortem done only after the Home Secretary wrote to the High Court. But there is no development after that. We are now taking out a candle march. We do not know whether he will be cremated on Tuesday tomorrow also or not.”

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An Aam Aadmi Party leader said they are in a wait and watch mode. “Unless the police gets a breakthrough and the tempers are cooled, nothing can be said about the situation. We are shocked. The party has seen people’s anger for the first time. Earlier, we were blaming the Opposition for not letting the party work. The ouster of Dr Vijay Singla as health minister had earned praise for the party from all quarters. But this time we are on the defensive,” the party leader said.

The government was also put on the defensive as the Opposition raised the issue of leaking of confidential list of 424 protectees, whose security was pruned, by the AAP’s media managers on Saturday.