He said he would not allow anyone found guilty of such charges to go scot-free.
Reacting to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rejection of the inquiry and their street protests over the issue, the Chief Minister said he had ordered the probe by the Director General of Police (DGP) after receiving photographs clearly showing links of hardened criminals and gangsters with the top Akali leadership.
The Chief Minister 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, he said, adding he had asked the DGP to complete the probe at the earliest.
The evidence received by him in the form of the photographs, along with various documents, showed a clear nexus between the Badals and other Akali leaders, who were trying to divert attention from their involvement by targeting Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, said the Chief Minister in a statement.
The SAD, in fact, had no proof of any involvement of Randhawa or any other Congress minister or leaders with gangsters and criminals, said Amarinder Singh.
( With inputs from IANS )