India, July 26 -- In the climax of Singham, the cornered villain appeals to the director general of police. The reply is now folklore: "DGP hai hi kahan? Woh toh mast so raha hai." On record, the chief lay sedated; in reality, he stood in that room-one uniformed family protecting its own.

Fifteen years later, Chandigarh has inverted the plot. On paper, everyone is awake: Rosters are full, nakas are manned, and budgets are consumed. In truth, the force sleeps-and this time, it is the citizen's family under threat.

Look at the scoreboard: Daylight shootings in Sector 14, Sector 9, and now Sector 11, where a cashier took 13 bullets in a crowded market just steps from a police chowki. The killers drove across the city while officers stood a...