Chandigarh: The Punjab Government has appointed counter-intelligence expert DGP Gaurav Yadav as Punjab DGP. He was earlier posted as Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Incidentally, Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal had cleared the Civil Services Examination together in 1992. While Yadav got selected in the Indian Police Service, Kejriwal went for the Indian Revenue Service. Yadav had headed the Punjab Police’s 2014 international operation to nab Jagtar Singh Tara, one of the most wanted terrorists.
Yadav, son-in-law of former Punjab DGP PC Dogra, has held several important postings, including officiating head of the Intelligence wing during the SAD-BJP government in 2016. He has remained SSP in Punjab for 10 years and Commissioner of Police for four years. He was the Chandigarh SSP from 2002 to 2004.
Yadav’s appointment comes amid rival political parties attacking the AAP-led government over the alleged deteriorating law and order in the state.
Earlier, state DGP VK Bhawra had proceeded on two months leave after seeking central deputation. The DGP was under pressure owing to number of law and order issues in the state.
Bhawra had faced criticism over the killing of Sidhu Moosewala, whose security was withdrawn a day before the incident. Besides, the police faced several embarrassing moments in the investigation of the case and prevention of crimes. He had to clarify his statement on Moosewala’s killing linking it to a gang war.
The police also seemed to play second fiddle to the Delhi Police in catching the gangsters involved in the crime. The state police also could not arrest three persons who had shot a rocket-propelled grenade at the Punjab Police Headquarters in Mohali.
Another issue was the creation of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) by CM Mann even though a specialised unit was already in place for the purpose. The unit, called the Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU), had achieved much success in the past. The OCCU and the counter-intelligence (CI) were under one command. However, the new unit AGTF was separated from the counter-intelligence unit with different command, probably leading to a different response by the police to criminals.