Chandigarh, April 11
The union ministry of home affairs today ordered the ending of the deputation period of S.S. Virk, former DGP of Punjab, and sent him back to his parent cadre of Maharashtra with immediate effect.

The Punjab government, however, is yet to decide on the matter and sources said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal would decide when to relieve him. A few days ago, the Punjab government had suspended Virk and the sources said a section within the government was taking the plea that the reversion should not be allowed. It remains to be seen if Badal will allow it or not. The cadre-controlling authority for IPS officers is the MHA. Virk’s suspension is expected to be revoked by his parent cadre.

The sources said the MHA was not inclined to accept the suspension ordered by Punjab. Virk retires in the middle of 2009.

The MHA faxed an order in the wee hours today saying the deputation period of Virk, a 1970 batch IPS officer, had been ended prematurely and he should be relieved and sent to Maharashtra with immediate effect. Virk’s extended deputation period was to end on May 31, 2007.

Virk was originally posted in Punjab in the early 1980s at the peak of militancy. He was then serving in the CRPF. Later he was taken on deputation with the Punjab police and was seen as one of the few officials who took the militants head on. During Operation Black Thunder, purportedly carried out to force out militants from the Golden Temple premises, Virk was shot in the face and remained in a coma for nine days, but survived the attack.

Virk had sought reversion to his parent cadre in February on the completion of the polling in the state. Earlier, he had been removed as DGP by the Election Commission on a complaint of the Shiromani Akali Dal in the run-up to the poll held on February 13.