Murder of UK businessman Powar is blot on face of Badal government

By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: The murder of UK businessman Ranjit Singh Powar who had came to Punjab for a business deal is blot on the face of SAD-BJP government in state and also a failure on part of Punjab Police.

The police has confirmed that Powar is murdered by his age old friend Baldev Singh Deol who had fled to England after cfommitting the crime. Police has arrested Deol's deiver who was an eyewitness in the murder. Powar came to India on May 7 and landed at Amritsar international airport. He was received by Deol and a day after Deol murdered Powar and fled to England. The family of Powar had alerted Punjab Police and lodged a missing complaint but laxity on the part of police led to escape of Deol.Police is yet to locate dead body of Powar which is thrown into Bhakra Canal near Anandpur Sahib. Deol's nephew Sukhdev Singh a taxi driver has been arrested,police said.

The murder of NRI Ranjit Singh Powar is a serious matter and seems result of mafias growing in Punjab. The Punjab Government led by Parkash Singh Badal had always boasted for safety of NRIS but the ground reality is that neither the NRIs not their properties are safe in Punjab. The senior leaders of SAD are involved in grabbing the disputed and unoccupied properties. Badals have no time from their business to look after the interests of NRIs though they have made score of false promises.

Powar is not only NRI who is kidnapped and murdered on visit to Punjab. There are several other cases in which police is working under political pressure not to act. The case of Tarn Taran girl, a US green card holder has came up in the Punajb and High Court last weak and court reprimanded SSP for not showing any sincerety in investigation.

What is really shocking that Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who is also home minister have not uttered a single word on the disappearance and murder of Ranjit Singh Powar and atrocities against other NRIs. The land and drug mafias in Punjab are flourishing with the active connivance of ruling party. The sand mafia has became so powerful in the state that even Chief Minister feels helpless to counter them. The contractors who are frontmen of mafia are charging ten times higher than government rates and Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are issuing statements that government is committed to bring down the rates of sand and gravel.

The total collapse of law and order in Punjab has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainity. The day light robberies, incidents of carjacking, murders and rapes have become so common that a common man cant dare to step out of home after dark. In most of the reported cases the members of SAD and its frontal organisations were found involved. There are several cases to quote but police has no powers to act against goons. Even the gang wars in Punjab are common now, even in the jails.