AMRITSAR: The state government has shelved the proposal to introduce the police commissioner system in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar districts much to the embarrassment of the state director general of police, K.P,S.Gill.

The chief minister, Beant Singh, and the chief secretary, C.S.Chatha, had struck an under Standing with Gill following which a spokesman of the state police had announced that the police commissioner system would be implemented in the three largest populated cities in the state. The two Senior most SSPs in the state were posted in Ludhiana and Jalandhar to be appointed as deputy police commissioners while a move was afoot, to replace the SSP of Amritsar.

The state government’s change of mind is being seen as a strong rebuff to Gill, who had, according to some officials, assumed “a larger than life” stature following the successful containment of militancy in Punjab, The proposed move reportedly fell through mainly because of the sustained pressure from the AS lobby which had stoutly opposed the move to entrust the police with magisterial powers in the three districts. There was opposition from political quarters too.

The main grouse of the IAS lobby and political leaders was that the police, in the course of their fight against militants, had assumed extra constitutional powers which had gone unnoticed. “It was mainly to check Gill and his men from having a hold on the administration that the move was scuttled,” said a senior IAS officer.

The IAS lobby was also irked at the manner in which Gill, in his haste to get the new police system implemented, made the announcement about it even though the home department had not initiated the process of implementing it.

The IPS officers, who were re placed and posted at new places under the proposed new dispensation, however, feel demoralized, The new SSP of Jalandhar, Sanjeev Gupta, one of the senior most SSPs in the state, now heads the smaller district because the Jalandhar rural segment was chopped off to confine the com missioner system to the city only. S.K.Goyal, who was shifted from Gurdaspur to be posted as the SSP of Chandigarh, remained without a posting for more than three weeks and has been finally appointed on a newly created post of AIG (operation and vigilance) in Amritsar,

He has however, not been given any office or staff. S.K.Sharma and Gulam Mustafa, formerly SSPs of Jalandhar and Ferozepore respectively, have been posted in relatively less important districts, The SSPs, of Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar, who were to be given the senior election grade and the status of DIGs are also said to be disappointed.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 5, 1993