M A I N   N E W S

Second major reshuffle in Punjab police
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 5
In a second major reshuffle in the Police Department, the Punjab Government today ordered the postings of 114 officers, including 49 SPs and 65 DSPs/ASPs, in the absence of the Director-General of Police, Mr A.A Siddiqui.

The nine SSPs, who were transferred but not given a posting yesterday, were also given fresh postings today.

Mr S.K Singh has been posted as SP/CM (Security), Chandigarh; Mr Mander Singh as SP (Detective), Kapurthala. Mr Darshanjit Singh Dhindsa will join as SP (Headquarters), Hoshiarpur; while Mr Rakesh Kaushal has been posted as SP/City-II, Jalandhar. Mr P.K Uppal has been posted as SP/RTC, PAP, Jalandhar; Mr Kanwarjit Singh as SP/CID, Ludhiana; Mr Chaman Lal as SP (Headquarters), Amritsar; Mr Kashmir Singh Gill as SP (Detective-(D), Muktsar; Mr Bhupinderjit Singh Virk, Assistant Commandant, 13th Batallion, PAP, Chandigarh; Ms Amrit Brar (SP, Security, Chandigarh); Mr R.C Sethi (SP/Police Control Room (PCR), Chandigarh; Mr SPS Basra SP, (Operations), Chandigarh; Mr Darshan Kumar, Assistant Commandant, 27th Battalion, PAP, Jalandhar.

While Mr Mohinder Singh Teji has been posted as Assistant Commandant, 1st IR battalion, Patiala; Mr Shamsher Jang Bahadur will go as Assistant Commandant, 5th IR Batallion, Amritsar. Mr Karamjit will go as Assistant Commandant, 6th IR battalion, Ladda Kothi; Mr Prem Chand as Assistant Commandant, 1st CDO, Batallion, Bahadurgarh; Mr Darshan Singh as Assistant Commandant, 3rd CDO Batallion, Mohali; Mr Jaskirat Singh as Assistant Commandant, 82nd Batallion, PAP, Chandigarh.

The following are the new posting orders of the eight SSPs left out of the list released yesterday. While Mr Harpreet Singh Sidhu goes as AIG/Litigation, Chandigarh, Ms Gurpreet Kaur Deo, will join as Commandant, 4th CDO Batallion, Mohali. Mr Ishwar Singh as SP (Intelligence), Chandigarh; Ms Shashi Prabha Dwivedi, SP/Computer, Chandigarh; Mr Rajendra Namdeo Dhoke as Commandant, 36th Batallion, Bahadurgarh (PTL); Mr Praveen Kumar Sinha as AIG/Armaments and Modernisation, Chandigarh; Mr B Chandra Shekhar as Commandant, PRTC, Jahan Khelan, Mr Paramraj Singh Umranangal as Commandant 3rd CDO batallion, Mohali.

Mr Surinder Pal Singh has been posted as Commandant, 2nd IR Batallion, Ladda Kothi (Sangrur); Mr Baljinder Singh Grewal as Assistant Commandant, 36th Battalion PAP, Bahadurgarh; Mr Nilabh Kishore as SP/City-II, Amritsar; Mr Shiv Kumar as SP (Headquarters) Bathinda; Mr Rakesh Aggrawal as SP (Headquarters), Gurdaspur; Mr Utpal Joshi as SP/Crime against Women, Chandigarh; Mr Harbhajan Singh as SP (Headquarters), Fatehgarh Sahib;

Mr Inder Mohan Singh as SP (D), Patiala; Mr Surinder Kumar Kalia as Assistant Commandant, 3rd IR Batallion, Ludhiana; Mr Rajinder Singh Darbhanga as SP (Headquarters), Ferozepore and Mr Hartej Singh Sekhon as Assistant Commandant, 2nd CDO Batallion, Bahadurgarh.

Mr Gurdeep Singh Pannu is SP (Headquarters), Mansa; Mr Jagdish Singh Kahlon is the SP (Headquarters), Ropar; Mr Varinderpal Singh as SP (D), Sangrur; Mr Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal as SP/City-I, Ludhiana; Mr Harish Kumar as SP (Headquarters), Barnala and Mr Kuldip Singh as AIG/Personnel, CPO, Chandigarh. Dr Naresh Kumar has been posted as SP/Spl Investigation, Crime, Chandigarh; Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhatti as SP (Detective), Jalandhar; Mr Sudesh Agnihotri, SP (Detective, Majitha; Mr Dilbagh Singh as SP (Headquarters), Majitha and Mr Dharam Singh as SP (D), Khanna.

Meanwhile, the government has directed all new appointees to take over by Thursday noon and report compliance of orders to the IG ( Headquarters). The orders have been issued by the Principal Secretary, Mr Sanjit Sinha.

Transfer of 22 DSPs cancelled
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 5
The Punjab Government late tonight cancelled the transfer of 22 DSPs, which had created a big controversy. The transfer orders were earlier issued by Mr Siddiqui. However, the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had asked him to cancel the same. But it could not be done as Mr Siddiqui was away to Delhi. Sources said after cancelling the previous transfer orders today, fresh transfer orders were issued in case of these DSPs.

No move to replace DGP Siddiqui
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 5
While official sources denied any move to replace Mr A.A. Siddiqui as the Director-General of Police, Punjab, rumours hinting a change at the top continued to do the rounds here.

Rumour-mongers had a field day today. Cellphones of mediapersons remained busy. A large number of mediapersons flocked to the Punjab Police headquarters to check up whether there was any move to make a change at the top.

However, official sources told TNS that there was no move to replace the state police chief.

“DGP, Siddiqui has been brought to the state by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The CM appointed him the state police chief well before the retirement of Mr M.S. Bhullar. Hence, there is no move to replace him at the moment", said a senior officer.

Asked about the transfer of district police chiefs in the absence of the DGP, the officer said the Chief Minister had collected reports on the functioning of all district police chiefs from intelligence sources and then from private channels. Besides, these transfers were discussed informally with the DGP.

"Moreover, it is the sole prerogative of the Chief Minister to post district police chiefs, Deputy Commissioners and the Heads of Departments,” said the officer. “The Chief Minister never interferes in the transfers and postings at any other level in the districts", added the officer.

According to informed sources, one or two rounds of transfers of police officers are likely in the days to come. Officers at levels of ADGP, IG and DIG are likely to be reshuffled. And then there will be changes at the SP and DSP levels in the districts, according to sources.

The Chief Minister, sources claim, will call a meeting of senior officers soon to outline his agenda. The Chief Minister wanted to tone up the entire administrative machinery well before the Lok Sabha elections.