Punjab Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi today asked Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to own up moral responsibility as the state's home minister for the "criminal lapse" by police in handling the situation leading to the attack by terrorists on Pathankot air base.
On the sidelines of a padyatra organised by Punjab Youth Congress, the Congress's Legislature Party leader claimed that it had been established that the state police wasted crucial 13 hours before launching operations as Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh was not taken "seriously by his superiors upto the level of IG (Border range) Aloknath Angra".
The SP was rather mocked at by his superiors going by the reports now coming out, Channi added.
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He said the NIA recommending action against the state police officials directly connected to this lapse was a serious development as it reflected not just the incompetence of these officials posted in sensitive area but also mishandling of police force by Sukhbir who, he said, is "responsible for its politicisation".
"Salwinder Singh had reported his kidnapping at 3.30 am in the morning but he was not taken seriously by his superiors who continued to treat the information as his drama, thereby wasting crucial time that enabled the terrorist to reach Pathankot air base," Channi said.
By the time the police came into action and informed the centre, the Congress leader said, it was too late.
It is not without reason that state police chief Suresh Arora too has now ordered probe into the functioning of the police officials in the districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot, the CLP leader added.
Channi said rather than owning up moral responsibility, Sukhbir is "strangely defending not only these officers but himself too as he cannot escape the blame."
He added that it was no use seeking Sukhbir's resignation time and again as he was too "thick-skinned".
"He, himself, has been committing such blunders going by what has been happening in the state during the last several months in particular...," Channi said, adding that it will be people of the state who will teach him and his party a lesson for "playing with the state".
