3-month extension to Punjab DGP Suresh Arora

Chandigarh, September 12

Senior IPS officer Suresh Arora has been given a three-month extension as the chief of Punjab Police.

According to official orders, the appointments committee of the Union Cabinet has approved the Home Ministry’s proposal to extend Arora’s service for three months beyond the date of his superannuation on September 30, in public interest.

Earlier, the Amarinder Singh government had approached the Centre, seeking extension of Arora’s tenure as the DGP.

Arora, a 1982-batch IPS officer, was made the DGP in 2015 by the SAD-BJP government after replacing senior IPS officer Sumedh Singh Saini, following police firing at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot.

When the Congress came to power last year, it did not change the incumbent from the DGP post.

Notably, the state government had earlier announced that it would approach the Supreme Court to review its July 3, 2018 order, directing states to choose and appoint their DGP from a panel to be constituted by the UPSC based on the proposals of the state government concerned.

On August 28, the Punjab Assembly had passed the Police (Amendment) Bill 2018, to pave the way for setting up of a State Security Commission for selection of DGP.

The state government had decided to amend the Punjab Police Act, 2007, to enable constitution of a state police panel for appointment of DGP after seeking Advocate General Atul Nanda’s opinion on this issue. — PTI