In major rejig, over 30 police officers shifted

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 18

In a major reshuffle in the police department, the government today brought back Harpreet Singh Sidhu as head of the Special Task Force (STF) against drugs and posted IG Praveen Kumar Sinha as head of the prisons department. The government has also posted eight new SSPs.

The government has been under pressure for the past few weeks on the issue of drugs abuse and smuggling, besides increasing incidents of violence in the jails.

Sources said a number of Congress MLAs had approached the CM demanding Sidhu's re-posting as STF head. They cited rise in the number of drugs related cases in the state.

Among more than 30 officers shuffled, the government sprang a surprise by posting former Khanna SSP Dhruv Dahiya as Tarn Taran SSP. Dahiya was shifted out of Khanna after a controversy over an alleged illegal raid and recovery of Rs 16 crore from a Jalandhar priest a couple of months ago. Officials said Dahiya had been reportedly cleared of any wrongdoing in the whole case. Sinha is heading the SIT probing this case.

In another order, Prabodh Kumar has been posted as special DGP and Director, Bureau of Investigation, after his promotion to the rank of DGP; Rohit Choudhary will be special DGP, Policy and Rules; and Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota elevated as special DGP, Armed Battalions, Jalandhar. Officials said Choudhary had been posted out of the Prisons Department as the post was for the rank up to ADGP.

ADGP Gurpreet Deo has been transferred as ADGP, Crime. SSP Sandeep Goel has been shifted from Ferozepur to Ludhiana (Rural). He had made a famous speech in a police-public interaction admitting flaws in the force.

In other postings, ADGP (Admin) Gaurav Yadav will also look the litigation wing. ADGP (STF) Gurpreet Kaur Deo has been relieved from this additional charge.

Ishwar Singh posted as ADGP (Law and Order); ADGP (Policy and Rules) Jitendra Kumar Jain will also hold the charge of Director, SCRB; ADGP (HRD) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi gets additional charge of women affairs, ADGP (Coordination) RN Dhoke will also look ADGP Security and Community Affairs and NRI.

B. Chandra Sekhar posted as IG Crime (BoI); Pramod Ban IG IT&T; G Nageswara Rao IG, STF; Balkar Singh IG, Special Investigations, (BoI); LK Yadav IG-cum-Director, VB; Mohnish Chawla IG-cum-Director EOW, VB; Shive Kumar Verma IG Crime (BoI); IG, PAP Jalandhar, Jaskaran Singh gets additional charge of IG Disaster Management; Gurpreet Singh Toor DIG, STF; Vivek Sheel SSP, Ferozepur; Kuldeep Singh SSP, SAS Nagar; Deepak Hilory SSP, Pathankot; Gaurav Garg SSP, Hoshiarpur; Dhruv Dahiya SSP, Tarn Taran; Gulneet Singh Khurana AIG CI; J.Elanchezhian AIG Pers-II, CPO; and the services of Harcharan Singh Bhullar have been placed at the disposal of the VB.

Controversies involving top cops

• AIG Harpreet Singh Sidhu is back as head of the Special Task Force (STF) against drugs. Sidhu was posted as principal secretary to the CM last year after a controversy. Under him, the STF had summoned former Moga SSP Raj Jit Singh for questioning in a case of alleged drug smuggling by Inspector Inderjeet Singh. The controversy led to a showdown between different DGP-rank officers. Later, the CM intervened in the matter.

• Khanna SSP Dhruv Dahiya has been posted as Tarn Taran SSP. Dahiya was shifted after a controversy over an alleged illegal raid and recovery of Rs 16 crore from a Jalandhar priest a couple of months ago.

• ADGP Rohit Choudhary will be special DGP, Policy and Rules. Choudhary had been posted out of the Prisons Department as the post was for the rank up to ADGP