DGP Sharma returns as new inteligence chief

CHANDIGARH: Amid a political fallout of radical Sarbat Khalsa, Punjab Police on Saturday saw a major shake-up at headquarters. The state government brought DGP Anil Kumar Sharma, a 1984-batch IPS officer, as the new intelligence chief. Sharma has made a comeback after a 12-year-stint with the central government.
It was not clear if Sharma would report to the new DGP Suresh Arora, who replaced Sumedh Singh Saini on October 25 after Faridkot sacrilege row, or to deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who holds the home department portfolio.
The intelligence wing was left headless in Punjab for the first time after the state government had removed ADGP Hardeep Singh Dhillon while it battled back-to-back crises over 15 cases of desecrations of the Guru Granth Sahib, farmer protests over Rs 33-crore pesticide scam and pest attack on cotton, and congregation of radical Sarbat Khalsa in Amritsar last week.
Dhillon, a 1985-batch officer, who was shifted to home guards as its commandant general, made a strong return as ADGP law and order. He has replaced ADGP Rohit Choudhary, who goes back to his previous posting as ADGP (railways).
Dhillon has had a successful stint as intelligence chief, while his team went after top Khalistan ultras like self-styled Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief and Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's assasin Jagtar Tara, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) member Harminder Mintoo and Ratandeep Singh.
The administration wing of Punjab Police has seen a significant rejig. While ADGP (administration) M K Tiwari was shifted to human resource development (HRD) wing, IG Gaurav Yadav, a 1992-batch IPS, has been elevated as IG Jalandhar zone. With this he makes a return to the same district where he served as commissioner for nearly three years from 2010 to 2013.
He was the first commissioner of Jalandhar and had previously served as Jalandhar SSP. Shive Kumar Verma, a 1998-batch IPS officer, has been rewarded for his no political affiliation and unblemished record, as he moves to Jalandhar as DIG (range). He was holding charge of DIG (administration).
Dinkar Gupta, a 1987-batch IPS officer, has replaced his own batchmate Tiwari. Gupta was looking after the welfare wing. To ensure continuity in the administration wing, the government fell back upon IG Arpit Shukla as he made a return to the same wing where he was till two months ago.
Shukla who was looking after the security wing has been replaced with Punjab Police Academy (PPA) IG Naresh Arora.
Sitting Jalandhar IG Ishwar Chander was shifted to the PPA at Phillaur. He had earlier as well served at PPA in 2013. The government also replaced SSPs in Bathinda and Fazilka.
While incumbent Fazilka SSP Swapan Sharma only moved to neighboring Bathinda, a Badal family bastion, former Bathinda SSP Inder Mohan Bhatti made a comeback to Fazilka.
The sitting Bathinda SSP Rajeshwar Sidhu takes place of Bhatti as commandant of 75th Battalion of Punjab Armed Police (PAP).