The North News
Chandigarh/Ludhiana, March 13
Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has reaffirmed its tough stance on crime after the swift rescue of a seven-year-old boy who was kidnapped outside his home. State finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema warned that those involved in heinous crimes would face police encounters, declaring there was “no place” for such elements in Punjab.
Cheema personally handed over the rescued child, Bhavkirat Singh, to his parents in Seehan Daud village, Ludhiana, where residents raised slogans in support of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab government, and state police.
Earlier, CM Mann spoke to the child’s family and assured them of decisive action. “These criminals will be dealt with an iron fist. Punjab has no room for such people,” he said in a post on social media.
Bhavkirat, a Class I student, was abducted by two men on a motorcycle on the outskirts of his village in the Payal subdivision. His mother, Jaspreet Kaur, thanked the Punjab government for ensuring her son’s safe return within 24 hours. “This was only possible due to the swift action of the police,” she said.
The state police launched an immediate operation, leading to an encounter in which one of the suspects was killed, while two others were apprehended. Cheema praised the law enforcement agencies for their swift response and reiterated the government’s commitment to cracking down on crime.
“The AAP government has given police a free hand to eliminate criminal elements. Punjab will not tolerate such acts,” he said.
The rescue operation was also attended by MLAs Manvinder Singh Giaspura and Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra, along with senior police officials including Patiala Range DIG Mandeep Singh Sidhu and Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav Bains.
