Punjab Congress claims rise in police high handedness

Chandigarh, Nov 30 (UNI) Spokesperson of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Jagmohan Singh Kang today urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to take urgent steps to ensure law and order in the state, claiming that there was a rise in criminal cases as well as complaints of police excesses in Punjab.

The former Punjab Minister said here that this year till September, more than 12,000 complaints of police excesses and highhandedness had been received by the Punjab Human Rights Commission, whereas during the previous year this number was about 9000.

Out of total of 13417 cases, 12143 cases of police atrocities and excesses were pending with the commission, Mr Kang said adding that this ''corroborates the fact that false cases were being registered against Congress workers and leaders by the SAD-BJP Government''.

''To make matters worse, the state had also witnessed an alarming increase in criminal cases ever since the SAD-BJP regime took over.

More than 15,100 criminal cases had been registered in past six months, whereas this figure was only 14,115 during the previous fiscal year.

Mr Kang claimed that during the previous year 472, 621, 677, 25, 338, 2415 and 7653 cases of kidnapping, murder, attempt to murder, Dacoity, Rape, theft and smuggling of drugs respectively were registered with police, while during the current year 601, 610, 655, 30, 407, 3100 and 7059 cases respectively against these crimes have already been registered till date.

He said that this ''alarming increase in crime rate pointed towards a grim situation in the state and called for serious introspection and remedial steps''.

UNI