The state government has now shifted 1997-batch IPS officer Arunpal Singh from the post of Commissioner of Police, Amritsar and posted him as inspector general of police (IGP), provisioning.The Punjab government, in a major reshuffle, issued transfer and posting orders of 30 IPS and three PPS officers with immediate effect. The order to transfer the senior officers, including eight senior superintendents of police (SSPs) and three commissioners of police, comes amid the opposition parties targeting the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over the law and order issue in the state.
The state in the last eight days has seen two major crime incidents including the murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar on November 4, and a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, who was out on bail in 2015 Bargari sacrilege case, being gunned down by six assailants in Faridkot on November 10.
The state government has now shifted 1997-batch IPS officer Arunpal Singh from the post of Commissioner of Police, Amritsar and posted him as inspector general of police (IGP), provisioning. IPS officer Jaskaran Singh (1998), who was IG Ferozepur Range will be the new Amritsar police commissioner with additional charge of IG (Punjab Armed Police), Jalandhar.
Earlier, AAP MLA from Amritsar North Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh had sought dismissal of the Amritsar police commissioner for the “rising crime graph” in the city.
The other big rejig was effected in Mansa where Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was brutally shot dead on May 29. Later gangster Deepak Tinu, an accused in Moosewala’s murder, had escaped from Mansa police custody. The government has now posted Nanak Singh as the new SSP of Mansa, replacing Gaurav Toora who has been appointed as assistant inspector general (AIG), personnel-II. Toora replaces 2013-batch IPS officer Kanwardeep Kaur who has been posted as Ferozepur SSP, replacing same batch’s Surendra Lamba. In Mohali, where a rocket propelled grenade attack was carried out on Punjab police intelligence headquarters in May, the government has posted 2012-batch officer Sandeep Garg as the new SSP replacing Vivek Sheel Soni (2011) who has been shifted as Ropar SSP.
Deepak Pareek (2014), who was serving as Patiala SSP, has been transferred as AIG (Personnel-I). He has been replaced by Varun Sharma (2014), who was AIG Counter Intelligence.
On April 29 this year, there was violence in Patiala involving members of Shiv Sena and Sikh groups, following which curfew had to be imposed in the city.
2011-batch IPS officer Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, who was serving as AIG (Anti-Gangster Task Force), has been posted as Tarn Taran SSP, replacing 2008-batch IPS officer Ranjit Singh, who in turn has been posted as Ferozepur Range DIG.
The role of Punjab AGTF had come under scanner as all the major breakthroughs and arrests involving gangsters have been made by Delhi Police including in the Mohali RPG attack, Moosewala murder case; and the recent killing of dera follower Pardeep Singh in Kotkapura.
Meanwhile, senior IPS officer Kuldeep Singh has been appointed as head of the anti-drug special task force replacing Harpreet Singh Sidhu, as per the official order. Union Ministry of Home Affairs last month had cleared the appointment of Sidhu as ADGP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police).
Senior IPS officer B Chandra Sekhar has been given the charge of additional director general of police (prisons) while L K Yadav goes as director, bureau of investigation.
R K Jaiswal (1997) who was awaiting posting has been appointed as IGP (STF), in place of same batch’s Gurinder Singh Dhillon who has been posted as IGP (Law and Order). 1998-batch IPS officer Shive Kumar Verma who was IGP (Law and Order) has been posted as IGP (Security). Gursharan Singh Sandhu has been posted as IGP, Jalandhar range.
Mandeep Singh Sidhu has been posted as Ludhiana Police Commissioner, replacing Kaustubh Sharma who has been posted as IGP, Human Rights and IGP, Ludhiana Range. S Boopathi, deputy inspector general (DIG), provisioning, has been given additional charge of Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar.
Opinderjit Singh Ghuman goes as SSP, Muktsar, replacing Sachin Gupta who is posted as AIG, provisioning.
SPS Parmar has been posted as IGP, Bathinda range while Naunihal Singh, who is IGP, personnel, has been given additional charge of IGP, Punjab Armed Police-II. Gurdial Singh goes as DIG, AGTF. Ranjit Singh has been posted as DIG, Ferozepur range.
Inderbir Singh, who was serving as DIG-cum-Joint Director Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur; DIG Administration PAP, Jalandhar; and DIG (PAP-II) & Training has been stripped of the first charge, which has been handed over to Narinder Bhargav.
Gurdial Singh, who was Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Operations), Ludhiana, has been posted as DIG (AGTF), Punjab. Naveen Singla, who was AIG (Special Branch-I, Intelligence) will look after the work of DIG Administration.
Three Punjab Police Services (PPS) officers Manjit Singh, Balwant Kaur and Harmeet Singh have also been given new posting orders.