Punjab Congress MP Sounds Alarm; Urged HM Shah For Crackdown On Rising Gang Violence

Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the Congress MP from Ludhiana, delivered a sharp and urgent appeal in the Lok Sabha, demanding immediate intervention from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to halt the unchecked rise of extortion rackets and gang warfare tearing through Punjab.

He stated that criminal syndicates have gripped the state with dread. He added that political neglect has emboldened these groups to tighten their hold on public life.

Warring asserted that Punjab’s business community is suffering unprecedented intimidation. He said gangsters are placing extortion calls from foreign countries and even from inside Indian prisons, demanding heavy ransoms. Those who refuse, he told the House, are being hunted down and murdered.

He cited a recent daylight shootout in Ludhiana, during a wedding ceremony at 1:30 p.m., where a fierce clash between two rival armed groups left civilians injured and exposed the crumbling state of law and order.

He blamed political complicity for the escalation, sharply criticising the Shiromani Akali Dal for awarding a party ticket to an individual tied to organised crime.

This move, he argued, has provided a political shield for criminal elements and encouraged gangsters to openly threaten sarpanches, voters, politicians and even bureaucrats.

Warring also questioned the authorities’ recent decision to keep a notorious gangster jailed out of state, restricting his transfer for trial. He argued that this has disrupted judicial procedures and signalled administrative helplessness at a time when Punjab requires firm and visible enforcement.

Congress Flags Explosive Crime Spiral

Amrinder Singh warned that ‘Punjab is burning,’ telling the Lok Sabha that state police and the state government have reduced themselves to mere spectators despite a spiralling crisis. He urged the Home Minister to take direct cognisance of the situation and provide immediate central support to restore order.

The MP highlighted that the state’s gangster ecosystem has grown more structured and dangerous, referencing the 2022 murder of iconic Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, which had exposed the activities of the Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar syndicate.

He noted that recent developments, including the November 2024 arrest of international gangster Anmol Bishnoi in the United States and his extradition, show the vast international footprint of these networks.

Investigations by the NIA indicate that Anmol Bishnoi played a key operational role in a criminal syndicate suspected of Khalistani links.

The agency also links him to major cases, including the assassination of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique.

He also recalled Congress MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa’s claim that jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuriya had issued a threat to kill his son, followed by an actual firing incident.

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