Chandigarh, June 19
The return of Dr A.A. Siddiqui — an IPS officer of the 1968 batch currently heading Manipur police — to his parent cadre of Punjab has not been yet cleared by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had announced sometime ago that Dr Siddiqui would return to the state on June 15 at the end of his leave.
Talking to The Tribune over the telephone from his office in Imphal, Dr Siddiqui said he had not received any communication from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to end his inter-state deputation. “The Manipur Government has given its no objection certificate. But it is the Home Ministry which has yet to give the clearance,” he added.
Dr Siddiqui says the communication sent by the Punjab Government seeking his repatriation had said that it wanted to make him Director-General of Police to head one of important wings of the Punjab police.
“After holding the rank of Director-General of Police, I cannot come back on the lower post of an Additional Director-General of Police. That is for certain. I do not know what the Punjab Government has in mind for me. I am keen to come back. Since I am in uniform, so I have to go by the orders of the government,” he said.
Dr Siddiqui said there has been “lot of misinformation” with regard to his return to Punjab as well as his “subsequent posting”.
“I want to put the record straight. I am a disciplined officer and cannot join issue with anyone. I shall go by what the government asks me to do,” he said, clarifying that he had gone on leave as an officer of the Manipur police and had come back and resumed his service at Imphal.
At one stage, Dr Siddiqui was almost appointed the Director-General of Jammu & Kashmir Police at the end of the term of Mr Gurbachan Jagat, another Punjab-cadre IPS officer, currently heading the Border Security Force.
Initially, the Punjab Government projected him as the next
Chief Director of Vigilance Bureau. Later, the government relented and maintained that the present incumbent was doing a good job and the state would put Dr Siddiqui at some other important position in the Police Department.
Since Dr Siddiqui cannot be given a position lower than the one he holds, some of his seniors in the department holding the position of Additional Director-General of Police will also have to be promoted.
Punjab already has four officers in the rank of Director-General. They are Mr Sarabjit Singh (currently on leave), Mr Jarnail Singh Chahal, Mr Mahil Singh Bhullar (the present DGP) and Mr S.V. Singh (currently heading Civil Defence and Home Guards).
Officers senior to Dr Siddiqui are Mr B.P. Tewari, Mr S.K. Verma (both 1967 batch) and Mr A.P. Bhatnagar (1968 batch). In that case, Punjab will have another batch of four more DGPs, including Dr Siddiqui.
