When citizens begin to fear criminals, the government has a law-and-order problem. When they begin to fear the system meant to protect them, the problem is far deeper.Punjab is not merely facing a law-and-order crisis. It is facing a crisis of confidence.The most painful warning may not be found in a police statistics table. It may be heard in conversations among Punjabis living abroad: “Should we really come to Punjab this year?”
For a community spread across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe, visiting Punjab has traditionally been more than a holiday. It means returning to the ancestral village, meeting parents and relatives, attending weddings, visiting gurdwaras, looking after agricultural land and property, and reconnecting with the soil their families never stopped calling home.But increasingly, security concerns, reports of shootings, extortion, property disputes and allegations of criminal-political-police links are becoming part of that conversation.
There is no credible statewide survey establishing that “most NRIs” have postponed travel, so that claim should not be presented as a measured statistic. But the concern itself is real enough to demand attention: recent reporting has highlighted NRI concerns about property disputes and extortion, while Punjab’s own NRI Affairs department continues to operate dedicated complaint and helpline mechanisms.
And that raises a frightening question:
What happens to Punjab when its own global community becomes afraid to come home?
The phrase “police state” should shock us — and that is precisely why it matters.Calling Punjab an “undeclared police state” is a political and editorial description, not a formal constitutional classification.But the phrase captures a disturbing perception: a state where ordinary citizens increasingly feel that power, policing, political influence and fear are becoming intertwined.A healthy democracy requires the police to protect citizens without fear or favour.
A failing system produces the opposite psychology:
Keep your head down.Do not challenge powerful people.Do not get involved.Do not complain.Do not ask too many questions.
And perhaps most dangerously:“Nothing will happen even if you complain.”Once that mindset takes root, law and order has already suffered a devastating defeat.
2022 — The promise of a safer Punjab
When the Aam Aadmi Party government came to power in Punjab in 2022, expectations were enormous.People were promised a new political culture, better governance and an end to the old system of corruption and political interference.For many voters, the central expectation was simple:
Safety. Dignity. Justice.
Punjab had already suffered from drugs, gangsterism, extortion and political violence. The expectation was that the new government would confront these problems decisively.Instead, over the following years, criticism over shootings, gang activity and extortion repeatedly returned to the political debate.
2023–24 — Guns, gangs and the fear economy
Targeted killings, gang-related violence and extortion became recurring subjects of public concern.For Punjab’s diaspora, the issue acquired an additional dimension.An NRI returning home can be perceived as financially successful. Property, land and family disputes can make overseas Punjabis particularly vulnerable to exploitation.And this is where fear becomes economically destructive.
If an NRI starts thinking:
“I may have to spend more time dealing with police stations and courts than with my family,”the decision to postpone a visit becomes understandable.The problem is not merely tourism.It affects property investment, family reunions, agricultural activity, business and Punjab’s relationship with its diaspora.
2024 — When crime crossed borders
Punjab’s criminal ecosystem increasingly acquired an international dimension.
Extortion calls and organised criminal networks have been alleged to operate across borders, using overseas connections and local networks.That is particularly disturbing for the Punjabi diaspora because it means that distance from Punjab does not necessarily mean distance from Punjab’s criminal networks.In July 2026, U.S. authorities were reported to be seeking the extradition of Punjab Police inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra over an alleged $400,000 extortion attempt targeting a Los Angeles family. Punjab Police subsequently arrested the officer. These are allegations and legal proceedings, not proof of systemic police corruption — but the episode illustrates why trust becomes so fragile when law-enforcement personnel themselves become subjects of serious allegations.That should worry every government.
2025 — The question changes from “Is crime increasing?” to “Who is protecting whom?”
By this stage, Punjab’s political argument increasingly moved beyond individual criminal incidents.Opposition parties repeatedly accused the government of failing to control law and order.The government, naturally, has its own explanations and points to police action against criminals.But there is a fundamental principle that cannot be buried beneath political arguments:Citizens do not measure governance by press conferences. They measure it by whether they feel safe walking into their own homes.A businessman wants to know whether his shop is safe.
A farmer wants to know whether his land is safe.A woman wants to know whether she can travel safely.A parent wants to know whether his children are safe.An NRI wants to know whether his family and property are safe.That is the real law-and-order test.
2026 — The NRI warning becomes impossible to ignore
The concerns are now increasingly being raised openly.On August 12, 2026, British MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi raised concerns with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann regarding NRI property disputes and extortion, highlighting problems affecting overseas Punjabis who own property in Punjab.This is significant.Because when concerns about Punjab reach elected representatives abroad, the issue is no longer confined to a village police station.It becomes a diaspora confidence issue.And Punjab cannot afford to lose that confidence.
September 2026 — Even the police are becoming victims
The warning became painfully symbolic this week.A Punjab Police constable and his sister were reportedly attacked by a group of youths in Gurdaspur district while he was returning from duty in uniform. The incident triggered fresh political criticism over the state’s law-and-order situation.Think about the symbolism.
If a policeman in uniform can allegedly be attacked, what does the ordinary citizen think?
If the person carrying the authority of the State does not feel protected, how secure does the shopkeeper feel?
How secure does the farmer feel?
How secure does the NRI feel when arriving with his family at Amritsar airport?
And then there is the shadow of extortion
The Enforcement Directorate’s latest action has added another layer to the atmosphere of distrust.On August 31, the ED again sought registration of an FIR from the Punjab DGP in connection with allegations surrounding a multi-crore land-use and money-laundering investigation linked to the Suntec City project.The agency told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that delays in registering an FIR could create a risk of evidence being tampered with. The ED’s allegations concern, among other things, alleged corruption involving officials and private individuals. These remain allegations and are subject to investigation and judicial scrutiny.The significance is not that allegations automatically prove guilt.They do not.The significance is that every fresh allegation involving corruption, police, bureaucracy, organised crime or political influence further damages public confidence unless the system responds transparently and decisively.
The most dangerous statistic may be the empty ticket
Punjab’s political leadership should not wait for an official survey asking NRIs why they are staying away.They should listen to the families.A Punjabi living abroad may have planned:
* a summer visit;
* a wedding;
* a family reunion;
* a trip to the village;
* property maintenance;
* agricultural work;
* religious pilgrimage;
* investment in a business.
Then someone calls and says:
“Don’t come this time. The situation isn’t good.”That sentence should frighten every government more than an opposition speech.Because the person cancelling the trip is not merely cancelling a vacation.He is withdrawing confidence.
Punjab cannot become a place where fear becomes normal
A society does not collapse overnight.It happens gradually.First, people complain about crime.Then they stop reporting it.Then they stop expecting justice.Then they stop confronting criminals.Then they start making private arrangements for protection.
Then they tell their children:
“Don’t get involved.”And eventually, those who can leave simply leave.That is how institutions lose authority.Not because someone formally abolished them.But because people stopped believing in them.
The government must answer five uncomfortable questions
If Punjab wants to restore confidence, political slogans are not enough.The government should publicly provide credible answers to at least five questions:
1. How many organised-crime, extortion and targeted-violence cases have been registered since 2022, and how many have resulted in convictions?
2. How many complaints involving NRI property disputes, illegal occupation and extortion remain pending?
3. What disciplinary action has been taken against police personnel accused of criminal misconduct or links with extortion networks?
4. What independent mechanism exists for an NRI who believes local police machinery is compromised?
5. Why should an overseas Punjabi trust Punjab with his family, property and investment if he does not trust the system meant to protect them?
These are not political questions.They are governance questions.
Punjab’s diaspora is not an ATM
For decades, Punjab has proudly celebrated its diaspora.NRIs are invited to invest.They are invited to attend NRI conventions.They are asked to contribute to schools, hospitals, religious institutions and villages.Their money is welcomed.Their remittances are welcomed.Their investments are welcomed.Their votes and political support are courted.
But the relationship cannot be:
“Send your money — but take your safety concerns elsewhere.”The diaspora deserves something more fundamental:
security, dignity and equal protection under the law.
The final warning
Punjab is not supposed to be a place from which Punjabis need to be warned away.Punjab is supposed to be home.The tragedy would be if a Punjabi living in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, London, Melbourne or California begins to calculate the risks before deciding whether to visit his own village.
How many days will I stay?
Where will I stay?
Is my property safe?
Who can I trust?
Will the police help me?
Will someone demand money?
Will I become a target because I live abroad?
Those questions should never become normal.
So, is Punjab legally an “undeclared police state”?
No — that is not an established constitutional fact.But if citizens increasingly experience the State as a place where fear, criminality, political influence and institutional helplessness overlap, then the phrase deserves to be treated as a warning rather than dismissed as rhetoric.Because the real danger is not what we call Punjab today.The real danger is what Punjabis may eventually stop believing Punjab is.And if the NRI who once said “I am going home” now says “I have decided not to go this year,” Punjab’s leadership should understand:That is not merely a travel decision.It is a vote of no confidence in the State’s ability to provide security.And no government can afford to ignore that vote.
Disclaimer: This article and accompanying images are for informational and illustrative purposes only. Some visuals may be AI-generated or digitally enhanced and may not depict actual events or persons.Views expressed are based on publicly available information and analysis