Punjab Police : 107 tainted Punjab Police Services officers hold public dealing posts

In Punjab, as many as 107 Punjab police services (PPS) officers including 15 SP rank officials, are facing departmental probes for their alleged involvement in criminal cases, for committing procedural lapses etc, and most of them are holding public dealing postings all over the state.

A detailed list of 107 PPS officials including 15 SP rank officials was obtained by the TOI under the RTI Act which reveals all of them are appointed at public dealing posts in the police force despite having criminal and tainted background. The Punjab and Haryana high court advocate HC Arora said, "As per rules, police personnel with criminal background couldn't be appointed on the public dealing posts and till the pendency of court trial, the accused cops should be suspended."

Active participation of tainted and accused police officials in Punjab police would be made into an issue in upcoming assembly elections in the state, said president of People's Party of Punjab (PPP) and former Akali leader, Manpreet Badal in Chandigarh. Manpreet wondered how a common man could expect justice in a state ``where senior police officials want to contest elections on behalf of the ruling party.''

Among the two DSP rank Punjab police officials, DSP Bhupinder Singh, who is posted in Gidderbaha, has been convicted in a forgery case while the role of another DSP Bakhsish Singh, who is posted in Faridkot, is under scanner in connection with a double murder. Bakhsish Singh has also been booked in a corruption case. While the court trial of double murder case against him is going on in the district courts, he is appointed on a public dealing post in district Faridkot in Punjab.