Punjab's law and order worsening, CM Mann busy doing politics over Kejriwal's arrest: BJP

New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the assault of a woman who was also paraded semi-naked, alleging the state's law-and-order situation was worsening while he was busy doing politics over AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.

The reaction of the opposition party in Punjab came after the video of a 55-year-old woman being purportedly assaulted and paraded semi-naked surfaced on social media on Friday. According to the Punjab Police, the incident occurred in Tarn Taran district on March 31, days after the victim's son eloped with a woman and married her against her family's wishes.

Five people have been booked in the case, police said.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP's headquarters here, its national spokesperson R P Singh said, "A 55-year old woman was sexually assaulted, beaten up and paraded naked in Taran Taran's Valtoha village. This incident is shameful and has shaken everybody's conscience in Punjab." He cited other incidents of crime including rape, extortion and murder reported in Punjab and alleged that the law-and-order situation has been worsening in Punjab while Chief Minister Mann was busy doing politics.

"The number of such incidents has been increasing in Punjab and the law-and-order situation has completely collapsed in the state," Singh alleged.

"But instead of taking care of the law-and-order situation in the state, the chief minister spends most of his time in Delhi, participating in his party's campaigns and protests against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi liquor scam," he charged.

The BJP's national spokesperson accused the Mann government of completely failing to maintain law and order in the state.

"The chief minister has nothing to do with running the state. He is only doing politics and works for Delhi. He is providing state's facilities to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," the BJP leader charged.

The AAP had given the call for a nationwide collective fast on Sunday against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with AAP MLAs and volunteers will sit on a fast on Sunday to protest against Kejriwal's arrest.

Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, was arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. He had been sent to judicial custody till April 15.