Apprehending violence in the ensuing assembly polls in Punjab at the behest of ruling Akalis, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today said that growing crime graph, 52 dreaded gangs in operation and more than 20,000 Proclaimed Offenders (POs) at large, were enough indications for AAP’s apprehension. “As Akalis have already smelled their humiliating defeat in the upcoming assembly elections, they may resort to any low to disturb the peace of Punjab using their goons to create fear among peace loving people of Punjab”, State Convener of AAP, Gurpreet Singh Waraich said. Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora, himself admitted that there were 52 dreaded gangs already in operation in Punjab and even a report submitted to Election Commissioner, Police admitted that there were more than 20,000 POs at large in Punjab, Wariach said adding that Police failed to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) of the Home Department, headed by Sukhbir Badal, against gangsters and POs. Instead of taking action against criminals in Punjab, Sukhbir Badal preferred to raise the ‘bogey’ of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI by claiming that it may indulge in violence in Punjab during polls, Waraich said claiming that fear of ISI’s threat is nothing else but is an attempt to make ground for violence by Akalis’ goons. Waraich reiterated the party’s demand for heavy deployment of central forces in Punjab to conduct free & fair election, as people of state have lost faith in Akalis and even their Police. Violence at Muktsar between two groups, in which three persons were killed and spree of murders in Punjab by liquor mafia indicates towards the preparations of violence by Akalis, as criminals were virtually having no fear of police, which could be gauged from the brutal murders by Liquor Mafia, who not only killed innocent youth, but ‘butchered’ their limbs too.