Jalandhar: Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh and party’s Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot visited Nakodar and Shahkot in Jalandhar district on Sunday and met the families of young businessman Timmy Chawla and prominent kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian. Chawla was allegedly killed after his refusal to pay extortion money, while Ambian was killed at a kabaddi tournament. The Congress leaders’ visit was part of their programme to meet such affected families across the state.Pargat Singh and Sachin Pilot said that both families had been waiting for justice for more than four years and had repeatedly visited police stations and courts, but justice had yet to be delivered. They asserted that the Congress would continue to fight for justice for these families at every level and raise these cases from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to Parliament.They strongly criticised chief minister Bhagwant Mann for failing to fulfil his promise of providing a job to Sandeep Nangal Ambian’s wife. Speaking to the media, the Congress leaders said that the purpose of meeting affected families across Punjab was to understand their problems and identify the policies needed to ensure that victims receive justice in a timely manner in the future.Alleging delay in the investigation into the Timmy Chawla murder case, they said that the failure to deliver justice even after more than four years raised serious concerns about the functioning of the police.They said that AAP govt was misusing the police to serve its political interests. They said that despite the AAP govt’s claims of eliminating gangsters, people continue to receive extortion calls. “Victims are being threatened and intimidated, and pressure is being exerted on them to withdraw their cases. Nothing could be more unfortunate than victim families losing hope of ever receiving justice after suffering a crime,” they alleged.Responding to the BJP’s allegations that the Congress was responsible for Punjab’s drug problem, the Congress leaders said that the BJP had previously governed Punjab in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, during which the drug problem had also grown. “Today, the BJP is in power at the Centre and controls crucial ministries, including home affairs and defence. Despite this, why has the smuggling of narcotics and weapons across the border not been effectively stopped?,” they askeddDuring the visit, the Congress leaders also alleged rampant mining in the Nakodar Assembly constituency and levelled serious allegations of collusion with an MLA.
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