Punjab Under Siege: The Rise of Vigilante Justice
Chandigarh: In the heart of Punjab, a chilling wave of lawlessness is sweeping through towns and villages, as self-appointed moral policing gangs wield fear and violence to impose their rigid codes of conduct. These vigilante groups, operating with brazen impunity, are triggering widespread panic among citizens, evoking haunting memories of the state’s militancy-riddled 1980s. Under the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Punjab is witnessing a troubling erosion of law and order, with criminals dictating social norms and leaving citizens vulnerable to their unchecked aggression.
The brutal murder of social media influencer Karam Kaur, known online as Kanchan Kumari, has become a grim symbol of this escalating crisis. Allegedly killed by a gang led by self-styled Nihang Amritpal Singh Mehron, Kaur’s death has sent shockwaves across the state. Mehron, who had been terrorising women online for over two years under the guise of protecting “Punjabi culture,” operated with alarming freedom. His gang is also accused of publicly humiliating influencers Amanpreet Kaur and Priti Luthra of Amritsar, coercing them into issuing public apologies for their content. Despite Mehron’s blatant threats and well-documented activities on social media, law enforcement remained conspicuously inactive until the tragedy of Kaur’s murder forced the issue into the spotlight.
This case is not an anomaly but a symptom of a deeper malaise. Punjab’s law-and-order situation is deteriorating rapidly, with eerie parallels to the dark days of the 1980s, when militancy cloaked itself in moral righteousness. Then, as now, violent gangs enforced draconian dress codes, banned social gatherings, and committed heinous crimes in the name of religious or cultural purity. Society is once again fracturing—split between those who silently acquiesce or support these hardline groups and those who dare to oppose their vigilante justice.
The rise of these moral policing gangs is emboldened by the state’s inaction. In 2022, a group led by another Nihang, Mann Singh Akali, viciously targeted Sehaj Arora and his wife, owners of the popular ‘Kulhad Pizza’ outlet in Jalandhar, after a private video of the couple was leaked online. The couple faced relentless harassment, their livelihoods shattered, until they were forced to flee the country. Despite widespread public outrage, the AAP government’s response was tepid, allowing such groups to grow bolder.
More recently, on June 16, 2024, a Nihang in Patiala took the law into his own hands, brutally chopping off both hands of a man accused of drug addiction. No trial, no due process—just cold-blooded street justice. What was once a rare aberration is now becoming a terrifying norm, with such acts of violence occurring with disturbing frequency across the state.
Critics point to the government’s tacit tolerance of lawlessness as a key driver of this crisis. The Mann administration’s own reliance on controversial tactics, such as “bulldozer justice,” has undermined its moral authority to curb vigilantism. By failing to uphold the rule of law, the state has inadvertently ceded ground to these self-styled enforcers of morality, allowing them to fill the vacuum left by a faltering justice system.
Compounding the fear is a parallel surge in street crime. Chain snatchings, highway robberies, mob attacks, and public molestation incidents are now reported almost daily, even in smaller towns and rural areas. Residents describe a growing sense of insecurity, exacerbated by delayed or absent police responses. The promise of “Badlav” (change), which propelled AAP to power, now rings hollow as citizens grapple with a palpable breakdown in public safety and civil liberties.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s silence on the issue has drawn sharp criticism. His government has neither condemned the actions of these moral policing gangs nor demonstrated urgency in restoring law and order. This inaction is not merely negligent—it is seen by many as complicity in the face of rising violence. Legal experts argue that existing laws are more than adequate to address issues like obscenity, defamation, or online abuse through judicial processes. Yet, the failure to arrest or prosecute these vigilantes sends a dangerous message: lawlessness will be tolerated, and mob justice will prevail.
Punjab stands at a perilous crossroads. The government must reclaim its constitutional responsibility to protect its citizens and act decisively against these vigilante groups. Failure to do so risks plunging the state back into an era defined by fear, violence, and social collapse—a chapter Punjab fought hard to leave behind. The murder of Karam Kaur should serve as a stark wake-up call, not only for the government but for society at large. If these groups are allowed to continue normalising violence under the pretext of morality, they threaten to unravel the very fabric of a democratic, pluralistic Punjab.
The question now is whether the state will rise to the challenge or allow history to repeat itself. For the sake of Punjab’s future, the time for action is now—before the shadows of the past consume the present.
