Maintain Peace, Law And Order In Punjab Should Be Taken Seriously: Congress After Clash In Patiala

A clash broke out between two groups in Patiala on Friday and police had to fire in the air to bring the situation under control. There were reports of stones being hurled during the incident. Reportedly, a few were injured in the incident which took place during a march taken out by one of the groups. There was heavy police deployment at the spot to maintain law and order situation.

The Congress on Friday said law and order in the border state of Punjab should be taken seriously, hours after two groups clashed in Patiala that led the authorities to clamp an 11-hour curfew in the district. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said peace and harmony are imperative for the state which is "not the place to carry out experiments".

Local authorities announced an 11-hour curfew in Patiala district after four people were injured when two groups clashed over an "anti-Khalistan march". According to an official order, the curfew will be enforced between 7 pm Friday and 6 am Saturday. The measure has been taken to maintain peace and law and order, it said.

"Visuals from Patiala are disturbing. I repeat, peace and harmony are most imperative in a sensitive border state like Punjab. This is not the place to carry out experiments. Earnestly appeal to the Punjab government to ensure law and order is maintained," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Tension gripped Patiala city after the clash outside the Kali Mata temple between members of an outfit called Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) on one side and a group of Sikh activists, including some Nihangs, on the other. Four people including two police personnel were injured in the clash amid the pelting of stones on both sides over a march against 'Khalistan'.

Asked about the incident at the party's briefing, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said law and order in Punjab should be handled seriously as it is a border state. He also took a swipe at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, saying he would not have sought advice from Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on how to handle the situation.

He accused the AAP of making false promises to the people of the state and said this could have serious consequences. Vallabh also alleged that both the BJP and AAP are luring people with lofty dreams and false promises. He dubbed the BJP as a "holding company" and AAP its "subsidiary".

This is an example of poor governance and the law and order in Punjab need to be tackled seriously. Punjab is a border state and there are many issues as it is different from other states, he claimed. "Bhagwant Mann has not asked what to do from Arvind Kejriwal, who does not have time as he is busy making false promises in many other states. Mann has agreed that Kejriwal teaches them the governance model and then he implements it," Vallabh said.

"That's why we have said this is a model of misgovernance where only false promises are made. This will have serious consequences," the Congress leader said. Hitting out at the BJP and the AAP, he listed many promises made by the BJP, including doubling farmers' income and providing houses to all, and the AAP's promises such as providing free electricity to all.

"The governance model of both the holding company - the BJP -- and the subsidiary company -- the Aam Aadmi Party -- is the same. That is, talk big and when it is time to implement, you change the date," Vallabh alleged. 

 "Strongly condemned the clash between the two political groups in Patiala. We'll not allow anyone to disturb peace and harmony. All miscreants must be brought to book and punished," AAP's poll strategist and co-in charge of party's political affairs in Punjab, Sandeep Pathak, said in a tweet.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed the incident unfortunate and said he was in touch with the state police chief. "The incident of clashes in Patiala is deeply unfortunate. I have spoken to the DGP; peace has been restored in the area. We are closely monitoring the situation and will not let anyone create disturbance in the state," Mann said in a tweet.

He said Punjab's peace and harmony are of utmost importance.

(with inputs from PTI)