Instability grips Batala police as 6 SSPs changed in 5 years

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Short tenure

Gaurav Toora replaced Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar as the Batata Senior Superintendent of Police on Saturday

Bhullar’s tenure lasted barely 45 days; his predecessor Ashwani Kapur, too, had a short term lasting less than two months

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Political backing

With an SSP-rank officer being reduced to a lame duck, lower-level officials, including SHOs, rarely obey orders of their seniors. They know that if things go awry, they have politicians to fall back on.

Former police chief

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, January 1

Instability continues to grip the rank and file of the Batala police district following the government’s unwritten policy of changing police chiefs at the drop of a hat.

When Gaurav Toora joined as the SSP today, he became the sixth chief in the past five years.

He replaced Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar, whose tenure lasted barely 45 days. Bhullar’s predecessor Ashwani Kapur, too, had a short term lasting less than two months.

There are four ruling party MLAs, including two Cabinet ministers, who have an interest in the affairs of the Police Department. They are ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Dera Baba Nanak) and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa (Fatehgarh Churian), and legislators Fateh Jung Bajwa (Qadian) and Balwinder Laddi (Sri Hargobindpur).

At one time, former Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri, too, had been given unbridled powers. “Batala is a perfect case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. It should actually be run from a single command and without interference,” said a former SSP.

Last week’s bank robbery in broad daylight at Bahadur Hussian village proved to be decisive for Bhullar. Heads were bound to roll and the hammer fell on him. Officers say every time there is a spurt in crime, instead of backing the incumbent officers, the political class brings in replacements loyal to it.

“With an officer of the rank of SSP being reduced to a lame duck, lower-level officials, including SHOs, rarely obey orders of their seniors. They know that if things go awry, they have politicians to fall back on. There have been instances when officers, particularly those who burn the midnight oil to earn the IPS tag, have had to face volleys of verbal abuse from local satraps. It is better to remain posted in the headquarters rather than be posted as an SSP of a police district such as Batala,” said a former police chief.

There also have been instances of junior officials undermining the authority of SSPs by telling, rather informing, them that “we are answerable only to our political bosses”.

Interestingly, the voice of the man who is actually the MLA from Batala, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, is rarely heard in the department. Officers are wary of even taking his calls because he is an Opposition MLA.