Punjab Sacrilege: ‘Won’t rest till perpetrators are put behind bars’, says CM Mann

“The desecration of the Sri Guru Granth Sahibji on the sacred land of Punjab is a blot on us. This inhuman crime is unimaginable and unpardonable, the guilty of which can never be spared,” said the chief minister during a conclave organised by a private news channel here.

According to a state government statement, the chief minister said it is unfortunate that after the passage of so many years, the guilty of this heinous crime are still roaming free.

“This has happened just because the Akalis and the Congress hobnobbed with each other to save the culprits,” he alleged.

Subscriber Only Stories

View All

Premium

What three letters, part of the Lahore Conspiracy Case, will be part of a...

Premium

Seven decades since Independence, it’s high time our films reflecte...

Premium

India still fails its women, 75 years after Independence

Premium

Cricket chases the American dream

Subscribe Now to get 62% OFF

However, he said the day is not far when the guilty will be behind the bars for which his government will not leave any stone unturned.

The chief minister claimed that so far the culprits have escaped the punishment with the patronisation of the successive governments. “This has discontinued after our government was formed because we are firmly committed to punish the culprits,” he said, adding that the best officers will pursue further investigation into the case and best lawyers will contest the cases in the court.

The CM also described gangsters as a national problem and said all states will have to join hands for curbing this gangster culture. He said there is no “credit war” for the elimination of organised gangs as every state is sensitive towards it.

He also lashed out at the Congress and the Akalis for “promoting gangster culture in the state”.

The CM said most of his ministers may be new to the political arena but their vision and dedication is unmatched. It is unfortunate that Punjab is reeling under huge debt but instead of worrying about the well-being of the public, the opposition leaders are worried about their own salaries, he said.

Mann said as his government has plugged in all pilferage of public money by checking corruption “due to which most of the politicians and bureaucrats now think that their original salaries are too low as compared to the money minted by them through illegal means”.

He warned that any person who has looted even a single penny of the public will be made accountable to people. He will expose all such plunderers and severest of severe action will be taken against them as per the law, he said.

Lashing out at former chief ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh for their “non performance”, Mann said these two leaders ruled the state for a long time but they didn’t construct any good hospital in state due to which they prefer to go abroad for their treatment.

“Though both Amarinder and Badal secured quality treatment for themselves at London and New York, respectively, people in the state are striving hard for good treatment,” he said.

Earlier in the day in Amritsar, he said his government was according top priority to education and health and has enhanced the budgetary allocation for both the sectors.