Hoshiarpur: Dal Khalsa has expressed strong apprehensions that the Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) would ultimately be misused as tool like archaic sedition to ‘fix’ political opponents and dissidence, given the biases in the system and highly politicized state police and their ruthless working pattern.
Commenting on the move of Punjab government to enact the proposed legislation to deal with organized crime under which an officer of the level of the DIG or above would have the authority to invoke it, the Dal Khalsa asked Chief Minister to explain how and who would ensure that the DIG level officer won’t succumb under political pressure and act in bias.
Party head Advocate H S Cheema said his party too wanted peaceful Punjab, free from organized crime and gang wars. He, however, said by enacting stringent laws alone won’t prevent gangs from indulging in violent acts.
He called upon the human rights and civil liberty groups to take up the matter with the legislators and deliberate whether Punjab really needs new law like PCOCA to curb gang wars as claimed by Chief Minister and the DGP. Are existing laws insufficient to deal with the gangsters? Whether the government has incorporated any checks and balances to stop its misuse?
Advo. Harpal Singh Cheema (L) and Kanwarpal Singh (R) [File Photo]
He pointed out the people of Punjab had reeled under draconian provisions of various laws and suffered police excesses and rights abuses in not too distant past. He said as per proposed Act, while confessions before an SP-rank officer will be admissible as evidence, it will automatically lead to more physical torture during interrogations to which Punjab police is infamous for.
The government might have compelling need to bring this law to contain organized crime but once the Act would be in place, no one not even those who brought in could stop its misuse, observed Cheema.
He cautioned the government not to take any step in haste rather it should seek NGO’s, civil and rights groups advise and do consider their concerns. “The crux is authorizing the police officer of any level to invoke the proposed law is fraught with danger”.
Kanwar Pal Singh, spokesperson of the Dal Khalsa said draconian laws like TADA, POTA, UAPA and others has produced more rebels than deterring people to pick up arms courtesy its selective use or misuse. “All these black laws were brought in with a design to suppress political conflicts under the name of law and order problem, he said and added that the likes of TADA, POTA never prevented terror acts.
The News Misuse of PCOCA Inevitable as Police in Punjab is Highly Politicised: Dal Khalsa appeared first on Sikh Siyasat News.
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