Daylight murder at Sector 9 puts policing in Chandigarh under scanner

Chandigarh, which has a police strength of around 6,000 personnel, nearly 50 PCR vehicles and over 2,000 CCTV cameras connected to a centralised Police Command and Control Centre (PCCC) with live feed capability, now finds its security grid under scrutiny.

Residents say these numbers do not translate into visible safety on the ground.

“There is hardly any police presence at naka points. Beat boxes are ineffective, and routine patrolling appears minimal. Incidents like this shake public confidence,” Nitin Aggarwal, an RWA representative, said.

The Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) termed the incident a “complete preventive failure.” Its president, Baljinder Singh Bittu, said, “The assailants entered a crowded market area with firearms and carried out the killing in broad daylight. This points to a serious security and intelligence lapse”.

Echoing similar concerns, the Chandigarh Residents Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) said the law and order situation in the city is “not up to the mark.” Chairman Hitesh Puri stated, “The Sector 9 incident has exposed the effectiveness of Chandigarh Police, which is due to less patrolling and ineffectiveness of beat boxes. This is the root cause of the increase in crime. Police should increase patrolling, especially in crowded and sensitive areas. We appeal to the Administrator to intervene so that residents, particularly senior citizens, feel secure.”

A senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that the nature of the crime suggests prior planning. “Such incidents indicate that the assailants conducted recce, studied entry and exit routes, and identified gaps. Prima facie, it raises questions on intelligence inputs and preventive measures,” the officer added.

The effectiveness of surveillance infrastructure is also being questioned. With more than 2,000 CCTV cameras providing live feeds to the PCCC, officials acknowledge that real-time tracking is expected to aid immediate response. “If live monitoring is optimally utilised, suspects’ movement can be tracked swiftly. That is the intended purpose,” a senior officer said.

UT Police officials, however, pointed out operational challenges. According to the police officer privy to investigation, the motorcycle used in the crime bore a fake registration number, making immediate identification difficult. The sources further stated that, as per available records, the victim, Chamanpreet Singh, had not informed or submitted any formal complaint to the Chandigarh Police regarding any threat perception. “Despite that, the police acted swiftly and coordinated with other agencies to track down the accused,” a police officer said.

Defending the response, SSP Chandigarh Police Kanwardeep Kaur said, “The assailants in the Sector 9 murder case were identified very soon, and immediately special teams were formed to trace the accused and arrest them. Coordination was done with Punjab Police and Haryana Police officials and within 30 hours, the assailants were nabbed in a joint operation from Kaithal, where they were hiding”.

Officials from neighbouring districts also emphasised strong inter-agency coordination.

SP (Headquarters) Mohali Mohit Aggarwal said, “There is no lapse. Once the police receive information, CCTV footage has to be scanned, which naturally takes time. The response time also depends on how quickly the police are informed about the incident and how close the nearest PCR or police team is to the spot. Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali police carried out a joint operation and successfully arrested the accused from Kaithal. What better response could there be than this?”

Panchkula DCP Shrishti Gupta highlighted the coordinated response mechanism across the region. “Anytime there is an incident in the Tricity, the police officers of Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali and even Ambala and Solan get engaged to track the accused persons. A WhatsApp group has also been created for joint coordination among Tricity police officials,” she said.

“Preventive action depends significantly on timely inputs,” Gupta added.

Despite assurances from the police, concerns remain over structural gaps. An ex-police officer of UT indicated that several personnel, including officers at senior levels, have retired in recent years, while recruitment at the lower levels has not kept pace, potentially impacting ground deployment and visibility.

Suggestions from the former UT cop include strengthening intelligence networks, increasing visible patrolling, reviving naka systems, and adopting stricter action against organised crime, including attachment of properties linked to criminal elements.