Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced to form an Anti-Gangster Task Force to improve law and order and curb gangster activities. This decision taken by the Mann government didn’t go well with the opposition leaders.
Congress leader Pargat Singh raised questions against it. He called it as Old wine in new bottle. Taking to twitter, he wrote, “@BhagwantMann by instituting an anti-gangster task force is just putting old wine in new bottle. To fight against organised crime,Punjab has a STF which was renamed OCCU in 2017.We have teams,what we need is political will. Is @AamAadmiParty up to it?”
It may be recalled that the Organized Crime Control Unit (OKU) was formed by the Punjab Police in 2018. Capt. Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister of the then Congress party government. The unit, set up by DGP Suresh Arora, had encountered about 20 A and B category gangsters. Apart from this, out of 500 identified gangsters, 300 have been arrested by OKU. A special cell for such gangsters was also set up in Bathinda Jail. It was headed by former Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh. However, he later resigned.
The AAP has high expectations from the Anti-Gangster Task Force to curb the rising crime rate in Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the new task force would be given full strength. Their special police stations will be opened in the state.