DW BUREAU / Amritsar

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Monday said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is targeting Opposition leaders instead of controlling the law and order situation and the latest attack on the petrol pump of Shiromani committee member Jodh Singh Samra proved that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wanted to eliminate them.

Akali Dal leader Majithia said gangsters were openly attacking Opposition leaders, adding that the petrol pump at Kaler Mangat village in the Majitha Assembly segment took place because it was owned by SGPC member Samra, who was his close aide and in charge of Akali Dal of the Ajnala segment.

He said the prime motive of this attack was to target Samra as he was supposed to visit the pump.

Exposing the theory of the police that this was a case of loot, Majithia said the attack took place after the pump was shut late at night.

He said the attackers parked their bike on the road and started firing indiscriminately, adding that one person was shot dead and two others were seriously injured, and the attackers did not loot even a single rupee from the pump.

He said this was also a reality that the revenue of this pump was much less than that of two other pumps located at a distance from it.

Lashing out at the complete failure of the intelligence and registration of case against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa, the SAD leader said he had predicted in mid-January that attempts were being made to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state and any prominent Hindu leader or businessman could be the next target of attackers.

He said two months after this, an attack took place at the residence of former Minister Manoranjan Kalia.

He further added that similarly, when Bajwa had come out as a whistleblower and disclosed that there was a threat of more grenade attacks, he had been booked in a frivolous case.

He questioned the Chief Minister that even those journalists who had exposed the failure of the intelligence would also be booked. Majithia said gangsters were ruling the state and were openly sharing videos and audios claiming attacks in Punjab.

The Akali leader said recent audio clips of Pakistan don Shehzad Bhatti, Sheezan, and Happy were a testimony that they were least bothered about the police and were openly attacking Opposition leaders, police stations and persons who are exposing this government.

(editor@dailyworld.in)