RPG attack: Opposition parties in Punjab attack AAP govt, demand CM Mann's resignation
Chandigarh (PTI): Following a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a police station in Punjab's Tarn Taran district, Opposition parties on Saturday demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's resignation and said it was the "direct result" of the AAP government's "apathy" in maintaining law and order.
On Friday night, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a police station in the border district and it hit the Saanjh Kendra adjoining the Sarhali police station on the Amritsar-Bathinda highway.
This is the second such incident in the state in seven months. In May, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at the Punjab Police's Intelligence headquarters located in Mohali.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said the RPG attack was a direct result of the Aam Aadmi Party government's "apathy" in maintaining law and order.
He asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to realise the gravity of the situation and take some concrete measures.
"This is 2nd time in 6 months police building attacked with rocket launcher in Punjab. It's direct result of AAP govt's apathy in maintaining law & order & allowing narco-terrorism to raise its head again. @BhagwantMann should realise gravity of situation & take concrete measures," Badal tweeted.
SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema sought Mann's resignation for "failing" to maintain law and order.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the AAP government had completely failed in maintaining law and order.
Referring to the RPG attack and also the recent murder of a cloth merchant in Jalandhar, Chugh said Mann should seek an apology from the people of the state for "failing" in discharging his responsibilities.
Chugh asked Mann to resign if he was unable to maintain law and order in the border state.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring dubbed the incident "quite serious".
"Ominous signals. This is quite serious. Enemies of peace have the audacity to attack police stations. It does not portend well for Punjab. We have to fight against it together. Govt at the Centre and state have to take the lead. Can't take such threats lightly," he tweeted.
The AAP government has already been under fire over the murder of a cloth merchant by unidentified assailants in Jalandhar on December 7 and other crimes.
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Former DM, police among 26 booked for illegal demolition of journalist’s house in Uttar Pradesh
Maharajganj: Nearly two months after the Supreme Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to hold officials accountable for the illegal demolition of journalist Manoj Tibrewal Akash’s ancestral house, the police have registered a criminal case against 26 individuals. Those named in the FIR include the then District Magistrate (DM) Amar Nath Upadhyay, several police officers, administrative officials, engineers, and contractors.
The FIR, filed on December 30, 2024, charges the accused with 16 offences, including criminal conspiracy, disobedience of law, forging documents, and wrongful confinement. The demolition, carried out on September 13, 2019, was reportedly linked to a road widening project. Tibrewal alleges the action was part of a "vindictive conspiracy" following his father’s complaint about corruption in the construction of a nearby highway stretch.
In November 2024, a three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud condemned the act, describing it as “bulldozer justice,” and ordered the state to pay Tibrewal Rs 25 lakh in compensation. The apex court also instructed the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh to ensure punitive measures against those responsible.
Tibrewal’s complaint claims that officials demolished the family’s two-storey house and shop without notice, acquisition process, or compensation. He described the incident as a “criminal act,” alleging officials forcibly vacated his family, misbehaved with his mother and pregnant sister-in-law, and left no time to retrieve valuables.
The property, purchased by Tibrewal’s grandfather in the 1960s, was reportedly marked for partial demolition during a meeting with district officials. However, the next day, the entire structure was demolished, allegedly without warning, under heavy police deployment.
The FIR names several officials, including ADM Maharajganj Kunj Bihari Agarwal, executive officer Rajesh Jaiswal, superintendent engineers Manikant Agarwal and Ashok Kanojia, and nine police officers, among others. The charges include rioting, criminal intimidation, causing injury, forgery, and endangering personal safety.
Amar Nath Upadhyay, who served as Maharajganj’s DM during the incident, has faced prior accusations of financial irregularities, including overreporting the number of cattle at a conservation centre. Following the demolition, he was suspended but later reinstated to other administrative roles.
