MAJOR RESHUFFLE IN PUNJAB POLICE
Hardeep S Dhillon appointed DGP, law and order, Gaurav Yadav ADGP, security
Ravinder Vasudeva ravinder.vasudeva@hindustantimes.com
CHANDIGARH: The Captain Amarinder Singh-led government on Thursday reshuffled the top brass of Punjab Police with purported favourites of the force’s chief, director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora, back on key posts.
As per the orders, 1983-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Hardeep Singh Dhillon is now back as DGP for law and order, exactly four months after he was replaced by additional DGP Rohit Chaudhary. Chaudhary, who as ADGP, law and order, remained at loggerheads with the DGP office on some issues, has now been posted as ADGP for railways.
The government has also transferred ADGP Gaurav Yadav as ADGP, security, replacing BK Bawa, who has now been transferred as ADGPcum-commandant general, Punjab Home Guards, and director for civil defence.
ADGP, administration, IPS Sahota, who was given this post on April 11, has now been transferred as ADGP for prisons. He has been replaced with DGPrank officer MK Tiwari, who was serving as managing director of Punjab Police Housing Corporation (PPHC). Tiwari will continue to hold the PPHC charge as additional responsibility.
Notably, on April 11, Dhillon (DGP, law and order) and Yadav (ADGP, administration) were replaced by Rohit Chaudhary and IPS Sahota, respectively, triggering a war in the power centres within the police at that time. While Dhillon was posted as DGP for internal vigilance cell, Yadav was made ADGP, prisons.
Both Chaudhary and Sahota, who are not counted among favourites of Arora, are said to be the picks of the chief minister’s office (CMO).
The fresh transfers as per police experts are seen as a big boost for DGP Arora, who was surprisingly retained as the police chief by Amarinder Singh even as it was the previous SADBJP government that had given him the post .
Arora’s two close men, Dinkar Gupta and BK Uppal, are already serving as intelligence head and vigilance bureau (VB) chief, respectively.
For Arora, experts opine, these postings have come as a shot in the arm, and these indeed are a setback for his detractors, who never wanted to see him as DGP in the Congress regime.
“Today’s postings of Arora’s key officials would also put to rest speculations in the headquarters about his future as DGP. The chief minister, it seems, has also given the signal to his party leaders who often express displeasure about police functioning, that Arora enjoys his full backing,” said an observer.
For the police force as well, senior cops feel that posting of DGP’s choice is a good development for a chain of command.
In other transfers, DGP Jaminder Singh, who was posted as DGP for railways, as been posted as DGP, IVC. Sanjeev Kalra has been posted as ADGP, welfare.
Kuldeep Singh, presently posted as ADGP-cum-director, Punjab Police Academy (PPA), Phillaur, will now replace Kalra. IGP, training, Anita Punj will now hold additional charge as director of PPA.