Post Moose Wala murder, Punjab government to reinstate VVIPs' security
The Punjab government on Thursday decided to reinstate the security of over 420 VVIPs from June 7, after the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala, whose security cover was downsized earlier. The government revealed this before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court is hearing a plea by former minister OP Soni, who is one of the 424 people whose security was reduced.
Why does this story matter?
Moose Wala, whose real name was Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, was among 424 people whose security was withdrawn on Saturday. The police had said security was withdrawn because of an emergent law and order situation. Moose Wala, who had contested the Assembly election on a Congress ticket from Mansa, was reportedly facing death threats. His killing has brought gang wars in Punjab to the fore.
What was Punjab government's response in the HC?
The government notified the court that the security personnel were needed for the Operation Blue Star anniversary on June 6. Notably, the operation refers to the military offensive of June 1984 to remove terrorists from Amritsar's Golden Temple. Since the killing of Moose Wala, the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has been condemned for decreasing his and 423 other people's protection.
Moose Wala's family demands probe by central agency
Meanwhile, Moose Wala's family has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting that a central agency investigate his death, according to Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who met with his father on Thursday. The killing of the singer-turned-politician has shaken the entire country and the Bhagwant Mann government has been chastised for lowering his security just a day before his murder.
HC dismisses gangster Bishnoi's plea
Meanwhile, the HC dismissed a petition filed by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the primary suspect in the case. The Punjab Police has started the process to bring Bishnoi on a production warrant to Punjab from Delhi. In his plea, he expressed concern over being handed over to the Punjab Police in connection with Moose Wala's murder, claiming he may be killed in a staged encounter.
Government reconstituted SIT probing the killing
On Wednesday, the state government reconstituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate Moose Wala's death. Unknown assassins shot and killed him in his ancestral Jawaharke village in Punjab's Mansa district on Sunday. The incident came just one day after the Punjab government terminated 424 people's security, including him. Later, the authorities assumed some criminals were involved in the killing.
SIT trying to generate more leads
As per officials, the SIT is interrogating the accused persons which pointed toward the Bishnoi gang. The process to bring gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from Delhi to Punjab once his remand by the Delhi Police ends was initiated through a local court. Meanwhile, the SIT is trying to identify the assailants who carried out the attack to generate more leads.
