IPS officer Gaurav Yadav Appointed as Officiating DGP of Punjab

Senior IPS officer Gaurav Yadav has been appointed as the officiating DGP of Punjab in the absence of of the current police head VK Bhawra, he will be carrying on with his duties along with the additional responsibility for a period of two months. This move has come amidst the heavy criticism Punjab's AAP government is facing.

Chandigarh:Senior IPS officer Gaurav Yadav on Monday was appointed the officiating DGP of Punjab after the current state police head V K Bhawra proceeded on a two-month leave from Tuesday. According to an official order, Yadav has been given the additional charge of the DGP in addition to his own duties during the leave period of Viresh Kumar Bhawra.

This order will come into force with immediate effect, it said. Yadav, a 1992-batch IPS officer, was posted as special principal secretary to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. When reporters asked the CM about the appointment of the officiating DGP after the swearing-in ceremony of five ministers, he said the changes keep taking place in the administration. Yadav, who is the son-in-law of former Punjab DGP P C Dogra, is a counter-intelligence expert.

He had served as the intelligence wing chief during the SAD-BJP regime in 2016. The state government can appoint the officiating DGP for a maximum of six months. Within this period, it has to send a list of IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission which will later send back a panel of three IPS officers to the state government for choosing one out of them.

Before applying for leave, DGP Bhawra had sought a central deputation. Yadav's appointment has come amid rival political parties attacking the AAP-led government over the alleged deteriorating law and order in the state.

The defeat of the AAP in the recently held bypolls to the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat was also attributed to the law and order issue and the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala. The Bhagwant Mann-led government has been facing criticism from the opposition parties over several incidents including a rocket-propelled grenade attack at the intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police in Mohali and the murder of a kabaddi player in Jalandhar.

Bhawra was appointed the director-general of police in January this year just before the model code of conduct came into force for the Punjab assembly elections. The previous Charanjit Singh Channi government had selected Bhawra out of a panel of three officers shortlisted by the Union Public Service Commission. (PTI)