Hours before poll code, 49 civil, 22 police officials shifted

Hours before the imposition of the code of conduct for the panchayat elections, the state government issued new posting orders for 49 civil officers, including 11 IAS officers, besides transferring 22 police officials, including two ADGPs.

ADGP SPS Parmar, who headed a special investigation team that probed the sacrilege incidents in Punjab, has been posted as the ADGP (Law and Order), while IG Gurpreet Singh Bhullar has been again posted as the Commissioner of Police (CP), Amritsar.

Bhullar was shifted to the state police headquarters after the Lok Sabha elections in June. Gurpreet Singh Aulakh has been posted as Tarn Taran Deputy Commissioner, while Ajay Gandhi is the Moga SSP.

AIG (Personnel) Vivek Sheel Soni, who was the Mohali SSP when an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi took place has been transferred as Commandant of the 75th Battalion PAP Jalandhar. VN Zade, who had just been repatriated to Punjab, has been posted as Secretary (Expenditure).

Dhanpreet Kaur is the IG (Ludhiana range). Mandeep Singh Sidhu, who remained the CP-Ludhiana and the SSP Sangrur has been posted as the DIG (Patiala range); Ranjit Singh Dhillon is the DIG (Ferozepur range), while Harcharan Singh Bhullar is DIG Bathinda.

This is the third time in the past around 15 days that largescale transfers have been ordered, in what appears to be an overhaul of the civil administration in the state.

Gauri Prashar Joshi, who was awaiting posting orders, has been given the charge of Special Secretary (Personnel) and PSIDC MD. Sanyam Aggarwal is now the Director (Higher Education) and Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa goes as Commissioner of the Bathinda MC.