Chandigarh, Dec 9 :
Refusing to be cowed down by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) theatrics over the inquiry ordered by him in the wake of media reports of politician-gangster nexus, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said he would not succumb to such cheap pressure tactics but would get to the bottom of the affair, and would not allow anyone found guilty of such charges to go scot free.
In a hard-hitting reaction to the SAD rejection of the inquiry and their street protests over the issue, the Chief Minister said he had ordered the probe by the DGP after receiving photographs clearly showing links of hardened criminals/gangsters with top Akali leadership.
Capt Amarinder said before ordering the inquiry, he had apprised the Governor about these photographs, which, if proved to be authentic, would expose the role, nature and extent of Akali involvement in patronizing criminals and gangsters in the state. The evidence was serious and required a full-fledged police investigation, and he had asked the DGP to leave no stone unturned into completing the same at the earliest, he added.
The evidence received by him in the form of the photographs, along with various documents, showed a clear nexus between the Badals and other Akalis leaders, who were obviously trying to divert attention from their involvement by targeting Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the Chief Minister said and added that the SAD, in fact, had no proof of any involvement of Randhawa or any other Congress minister/leaders with gangsters and criminals.
On the contrary, the evidence against the Akalis was documented and needed to be thoroughly probed, he said, declaring that action would be taken, as per law, against anyone found guilty of such connivance by the inquiry. Such criminal misconduct could not be condoned at any cost, he added.
