CHANDIGARH, Dec. 10 — Bharatiya Janata Party state president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of politicising Punjab’s police force, saying the decision to send the Patiala SSP on leave ahead of a court hearing shows the administration “intended to misuse the police to steal elections.”
In a post on X addressed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Jakhar wrote, “By sending the Patiala SSP on leave before the court hearing, your government has admitted that you intended to misuse the police to steal elections. But the issue is not limited to just this. The politicisation of Punjab’s capable police force is the biggest matter of concern.”
Jakhar said the government’s “intentions became crystal clear” after an audio clip of Patiala SSP Varun Sharma surfaced last week, purportedly featuring directives to obstruct opposition candidates during the nomination process for the upcoming local body polls.
He said the episode follows what he described as earlier misuse of police during the Tarn Taran by-election. “This is a very worrying trend, and using the police for political gains by the ruling party is dangerous for democracy,” he said.
Jakhar questioned why the government needed to rely on police interference if it had performed well. “If your government has done good work, then why is there a need to rely on the police to steal elections?” he asked in his message to the chief minister.
He warned that the alleged misuse of police “has always troubled the people of Punjab” and claimed such actions would “help throw the AAP government out of power in the 2027 elections.”
