NEW DELHI: Akali Dal (Mann) president Simranjit Singh Mann said the three year old Congress (I) rule in Punjab had failed to restore predominance of politics over ‘police raj’ and stressed the need to establish the rule of law.

Talking to presspersons here, he said the Congress (I) Government hardened in perpetuating the “poof which its leaders were “beneficiaries.”

Blab orating, Mr. Mann said the police had helped the Congress (I) win the elections to the State Assembly and Parliament. Later, the police “installed” local Congress leaders and smalltime workers as members and sarpanches of village panchayats.

Leaders of other parties, including that of CPIM, CPI, BJP and Akali Dal, took police protection under real or perceived threat of militants. They, too, had become the “beneficiaries” of the “police raj” and had “morally accepted the dominance” of police. Therefore, they always avoided coming into direct confrontation with the police, Mr. Mann added.

In this context, he said the State Director General Police, Mr. K.P.S. Gill, enjoyed a predominant position ‘even after his superannuation and continued to hold the post without the mandatory notification of his extension by the State Government.

‘The Akali leader said even the media had begun questioning the ‘subversion of Constitution in Punjab” as editors of some newspapers had taken protection and felt obliged to it.

Besides providing protection to the offices of a newspaper published from Jalandhar, the police were also providing security to hawkers distributing its copies, Mr. Mann pointed out.

Mr. Mann wondered how senior Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal could speak against the “excesses” of police when he and his family members enjoyed police security, (Mr. Badal has recently been given “2’ category security). Similar was the case with SGPC president G.S. Tohra and other Akali leaders. ‘The Akali leader said whenever those at the receiving end and victims of police repression took cudgels against the violation of their civil and human rights, they were invariably branded separatists and had to often face elimination, In this context, Mr. Mann drew a. parallel between the predominant role of army in Pakistan and the overriding role of police in Punjab. In support of his contention, he said Punjab Chief Minister H.S. Brar could not refuse extension to Mr. K.P.S. Gill even if he wanted to.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 24, 1995