Homes Raided Over Black Flags? Randhawa Accuses Mann Government of Running a Police State

Chandigarh, September 3, 2026: Former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa strongly condemned the alleged police high-handedness against a youth who protested during Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s programme in village Sheron, Sunam. He said that attempts are being made to crush democracy in Punjab through fear and repression. The situation has now reached a stage where young people raising their voices against the government are being treated like terrorists. If the Chief Minister has confidence in his work, why fear black flags? The people’s questions should be answered through accountability, not through police vehicles and alleged high-handedness.
Randhawa directly questioned the Chief Minister: Is displaying a black flag on the roof of one’s own house now a crime? Will every citizen who protests be silenced through the force of the police? He said that if public opposition is causing so much discomfort, the government should introspect instead of sending the police to people’s doorsteps.
He alleged that Bhagwant Mann has turned the Punjab Police from a law-enforcement institution into a tool for suppressing political opposition. Randhawa said this is not the first such incident; rather, several such incidents have come to light over the past four and a half years, sending the message that the government prefers to intimidate its opponents instead of listening to criticism.
Randhawa said the government must understand that the people of Punjab cannot be silenced through lathis, arrests, and threats. He said that on the one hand, government employees are taking to the streets to demand dearness allowance and other pending rights, while on the other hand, unemployed youth seeking jobs are facing police action. Thousands of employees and young people are protesting for their rights, but instead of listening to their voices, the government is engaged in suppressing them.
Randhawa said that Punjab’s history bears witness to the fact that the voice of its people has never been suppressed. He alleged that the more the Bhagwant Mann government resorts to repression, the more firmly the people will stand up to defend their democratic rights.