The Punjab Congress on Saturday lashed out at the Badal-led Akali government for unleashing violence and terror on innocent people for raising their voice against injustice, and demanded stringent action against the culprits.The reaction came amid reports of an elderly woman being hit and then beaten up at the Prime Minister’s rally on Friday in Bathinda, before being mercilessly dragged out of the venue grounds, while, in another incident, an AkaliSarpanch not only assaulted a Dalit family but also got them booked in a false case.In a statement, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) leaders HarchandKaur, Gurpreet K Gagowal and Surinder I Balian said that the frustratedAkalis, faced with imminent defeat in the forthcoming Assembly elections, had started resorting to terror tactics to suppress the voice of the common people, who were beginning to rise against their anarchist and despotic rule.The shameless assault on an elderly woman during PM NarendraModi’s rally defied all humanitarian principles, said the PPCC leaders, adding that it was clear that under the BJP-SAD rule, there was no place for even peaceful dissent. The brutal manner in which the bleeding woman was dragged away after being assaulted by the cops shows a complete absence of democratic rule in the state under the Badal regime, the Punjab Congress leaders said, accusing the Akali government of misusing official machinery to crack down on innocent citizens.
Referring to the Mansa incident, the PPCC leaders said Dalits were left with no sense of safety and security under the Badal rule, with crimes against the community reaching unprecedented levels in recent months. The Dalit family’s only fault was that they had asked the Sarpanch not to dump garbage near the toilet constructed on the Panchayat land near their house. The Sarpanch reacted by having the entire family brutally beaten up and then filing a false complaint against them on behalf of the Panchayat. One of the family members is in hospital with injuries as a result of the assault, the PPCC leaders pointed out, castigating the Badal government for nurturing a culture of fear among the marginalized community.Dalit atrocities have been on a rise since the SAD-BJP alliance came to power in the state, with complaints going up from 473 in 2007 to 7709 in 2015, the PPCC leaders pointed out, citing a host of recent incidents to underline the pathetic condition of Dalits in Punjab under the Akali dispensation.Just a few weeks ago, a Dalit youth was murdered in Gharangna village of Mansa by the liquor mafia on suspicion of being a police informer, with his body mutilated and legs chopped off. In another incident, an 18-year-old Dalit boy was killed in Muktsar for refusing to sell liquor.These incidents reflect a complete breakdown of the law and order machinery in the state, said the PPCC leaders, adding that the people of the state were beginning to revolt against the Akaligoonda raj and will throw the Badals and their cronies out of Punjab in the coming elections.