Punjab Government Names New Police Chief Amidst Raging Row Over Lapse In PM’s Security
Amidst a raging row over the “major security lapse” during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab on January 5, the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Punjab Government appointed Viresh Kumar Bhawra as the new chief of Punjab Police. He is the third Director-General of Punjab Police in three months.
A 1987 batch IPS officer, Bhawra replaces officiating Director-General of Police Siddharth Chattopadhyay, whose role is under scrutiny for lapses in the Prime Minister’s security while en route from Bhatinda to Ferozepur.
The appointment order for Bhawra was issued on January 8, hours before the announcement of polls dates for five states, including Punjab, by the Election Commission of India and the consequent enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct which bars governments in states going into elections from making major decisions till the election process is over. Punjab goes to polls for electing a new Legislative Assembly on February 14.
Bhawra was one among the three officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for selection as Director-General Punjab Police. The two others were former Dinkar Gupta, who was DG Punjab Police during the tenure of Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister of Punjab, and Prabodh Kumar. Gupta and Bhawra are from the 1987 batch of the IPS while Kumar is from the 1988 batch.
This panel of names was submitted by the UPSC to the Punjab Government on January 5, incidentally the same day that the fiasco over the Prime Minister’s security took place.
Chattopadhyay, a 1986 batch IPS officer who was favoured by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu and appointed officiating DGP on December 17, was ruled out by the UPSC for empanelment because he did not meet the Supreme Court-mandated requirement of a minimum residual service of six months for appointment as DGP. He retires on March 31.
The UPSC Empanelment Committee considered October 4, 2021 as the cut-off date for selection of the new DGP. This ruled out Chattopadhyay. The Channi Government removed Dinkar Gupta as DGP on October 4.
"On the consideration of the panel received from the Union Public Service Commission, the Governor of Punjab is pleased to appoint Viresh Kumar Bhawra, IPS as Director General of Police. Punjab (Head of Police Force). His term shall be for a minimum period of two years from the date of assumption of office in pursuance of the orders of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India dated July 3, 2018," the Punjab Government stated in the appointment order.
Meanwhile, Chattopadhyaya along with 13 other police and civil officers appeared on January 7 in Ferozepur before a three-member inquiry panel formed by the Union Home Ministry to probe into the "serious lapses" in Prime Minister Modi's security during his Punjab tour. The Government of India’s inquiry panel is led by Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat Sudhir Kumar Saxena and includes Joint Director Intelligence Bureau Balbir Singh and Inspector-General Special Protection Group S Suresh.
The Prime Minister was left stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes on a route meant to be sanitised and secured by the Punjab Police about 30 km short of his destination, the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala, due to a blockade by protestors in the presence of Punjab Police personnel. He was forced to return to the Bhatinda airbase and return to New Delhi without attending any scheduled event in Punjab, which included an election rally.
The Punjab Government also announced a parallel inquiry headed by a retired judge, MS Gill on January 6.
