As long as gangsters killed each other, the Punjab government and Punjab Police were not concerned much. This does not hold true about any particular government alone, but the governments of all the hues and parties, whether the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, mostly turned a blind eye to these killings. Even the assassination of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala on May 29, 2022, was described as a “revenge killing”.
Since Moosewala’s killing, the “gangster culture” got much publicised in Punjab. After the killing of the world-famous singer, everyone started taking the gangster threats and ransom calls seriously. The extortion racket got emboldened.
Police officials have been admitting in private that claiming ransom from the vulnerable businessmen is no longer an unusual thing in Punjab. It is turning out to be like the Mumbai culture of “protection money”. Most of the victims of this culture are believed to keep quiet lest that leads to further enmity, which may prove to be more costly than the ransom money.
On Monday, a prominent businessman and textile trader of Abohar, Sanjay Verma, was shot dead in broad daylight as he came out of his car. The assailants were reportedly already waiting for him outside his showroom named ‘Wear Well’. One of the groups claiming allegiance to the dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is believed to have claimed responsibility for the killing. This, however, could not be verified.
Verma’s killing was preceded by another murderous attack on Dr Aniljit Singh Kambhoj, a prominent doctor of Moga town a few days ago. He is the father of film actress Tanvi. He was also allegedly asked to pay ransom money, which he reportedly declined. He was attacked by a few gunmen, but managed to survive the bullet injuries.
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The gangsters are well-networked. There are multiple gangs owing allegiance to different and dreaded gangsters. Even after the killing of a particular gang leader, the gang retains his name to ensure that it carries out the same quantum of awe, fear and threat.
While the opposition parties in Punjab are blaming the Aam Aadmi Party government for its failure to curb the gangster culture, the issue is more serious and goes back beyond 2022 when the AAP took over. It is not a mere law and order or a criminal issue. The gangs are well-resourced, as they manage to generate funds through ransoms and have a good number of recruits who act as sharpshooters. These are well-organised and closely knit groups.
There have been suggestions from different quarters that the Punjab Police should adopt the same policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards such crime, as has been done in Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath. However, senior police officers are believed to have been reluctant towards adopting that policy for multiple reasons in Punjab.
Experience suggests that during the period of terrorism such policy led to the killing of more innocent people than the actual culprits. People were targeted merely for suspicion or personal rivalries. Second, a number of policemen are still facing trial in these cases. Quite a few have been convicted and some even with life sentences even after retirement.
The government has constituted an Organised Crime Unit (OCU) to deal with gangsters. However, that may not be enough to control, curb and finish the gangster culture as the gangsters are quite well-resourced, well-networked and well-financed. They have been managing to find easy recruits to execute killings for very small amounts.
General opinion among the police, both serving and retired, is that there appears to be no strong deterrence against gangster violence. Even if they get arrested and jailed, that acts as no deterrence as they manage to carry out their activities from within the jails. When Sidhu Moosewala was killed and Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed the responsibility, Bishnoi himself was in jail. He is still in jail in a Gujarat prison.
While some masterminds are in jail within the country, others are hiding in foreign lands from where it is not very difficult for them to operate. With strong and well-established networks on the ground, whether the mastermind is hiding abroad or behind the bars, it is not difficult to get the orders “executed”.
Like drug addiction, the rising gangster culture is going to be another serious challenge for the Punjab government. The way the gangsters have started targeting common people like the textile trader in Abohar on Monday, they seem to be turning more daring and more audacious. One single incident only adds to the fear among others, and the gangsters become increasingly emboldened to demand ransoms and protection money, leaving hardly any option for their helpless victims.
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