CHANDIGARH: Punjab has a new Director General of Police, the state's third in three months. 1987-batch IPS officer Viresh Kumar Bhawra was appointed the head of state police hours before the date of assembly elections were announced on Saturday.
The state home department issued the orders that read, "On consideration of the panel received from 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 Supreme Court dated July 3, 2018."
Sources said that the Union Public Service Commission held a meeting on Tuesday in which it empaneled three officers for the top post and then sent the names to the state government.
Among the other two was former DGP Dinkar Gupta, who was also from the 1987 batch. Gupta had served as Punjab DGP when Captain Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister, but he was removed when Charanjit Singh Channi became the CM and had proceeded on leave before being posted as Chairman of Punjab Police Housing Corporation.
1988-batch IPS officer Prabodh Kumar, who is posted as Special DGP (Investigation) Lokpal and had sought central deputation, was the third candidate. He had headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan incidents.
Sources said the UPSC has not cleared the name of the officiating Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, a 1986 batch IPS officer appointed by the state government on December 16. He is to retire on March 31, and was ignored as the commission considered October 5 to be the cut-off date when it came to considering names.
Chattopadhyaya is considered to be close to Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu. Sidhu had been pressuring the government to appoint him as the DGP after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the post of CM but then new CM Channi appointed 1988-batch IPS officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as officiating DGP in September.
The new DGP's wife Anjali Bhawara is an IAS officer also from the Punjab cadre and she is presently posted as secretary of the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities (Divyangyan) in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
After assuming charge, Bhawara said that with Punjab Assembly Elections 2022 around the corner, Punjab Police will ensure smooth conduct of elections. He said that thee Punjab Police will ensure a free and fair elections.
Bhawra said that his focus will be on eradicating drug menace and terrorism from the state. He added that people-centric policing and public service delivery are among his top priorities. Bhawara added that the Punjab Police will make optimum use of technology for carrying out investigations of various crimes. Besides serving in Punjab, the new DGP had also served in the Assam and Intelligence Bureau.
The change at the top also came on a day when the Punjab government transferred nine police officers, including Ferozepur SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans. Modi was stuck for 20 minutes on a flyover in his district.