Punjab DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, arrested by CBI in bribery case, suspended

Punjab Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ropar Range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, who was arrested by the CBI in a bribery case, has been suspended, according to a state government order.

Bhullar, along with another person, was arrested on Thursday in connection with a corruption case involving bribery of Rs 8 lakh.

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Bhullar was held from his Mohali office following a complaint lodged by a Fatehgarh Sahib-based scrap dealer, who accused the senior IPS officer of demanding recurring monthly payment for “settling” a 2023 FIR against him.

Bhullar was sent to judicial custody by a CBI court here on Friday.

An order of the Punjab Home Affairs department issued on Saturday said, as per Rule 3(2) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, “a member of the service who is detained in official custody whether on a criminal charge or otherwise for a period longer than forty-eight hours, shall be deemed to have been suspended by the Government concerned under this rule.”

“In pursuance of the said Rule, Harcharan Singh Bhullar, IPS is hereby deemed to be suspended with effect from 16.10.2025, as 48 hours have lapsed since his arrest,” stated the order.

Bhullar has been booked under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

During searches at his residence, the CBI seized Rs 7.50 crore in cash and 2.50 kg of gold jewellery.

It also recovered 26 luxury watches, including brands such as Rolex and Rado, documents pertaining to more than 50 immovable properties held in the names of family members and suspected benami entities, locker keys and details of multiple bank accounts, four firearms along with 100 live cartridges.

From Bhullar’s farmhouse in Samrala, the CBI sleuths found 108 bottles of liquor, Rs 15.70 lakh cash and 17 live cartridges.

A middleman identified as Kirshanu was also arrested, and the CBI sleuths recovered Rs 21 lakh from him.

According to the FIR lodged by the CBI, complainant Akash Batta alleged that DIG Bhullar had demanded illegal gratification through his middleman for settling the 2023 FIR registered in Sirhind against him and for ensuring that no further coercive or adverse police action was taken against his scrap business.

The complainant further alleged that Bhullar had been demanding recurring monthly payments, referred to as “sewa-paani”, and had threatened to falsely implicate him in business-related criminal cases in case of non-compliance.

Verification of the complaint revealed that Bhullar, through his middleman, demanded Rs 8 lakh from Batta for “settling” the FIR and ensuring no further police action against his scrap business, as per the FIR registered by the CBI.

Bhullar was appointed the DIG (Ropar Range) in November 2024. The Ropar Range comprises Mohali, Rupnagar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts.

Harcharan Singh Bhullar is the son of former Punjab Director-General of Police M. S. Bhullar.