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Punjab Govt. suspends senior police officer

Chandigarh: Close on the heels of registration of graft case against a former Punjab police chief, the State Government has suspended another senior officer on charges of “misconduct and impropriety.”

An order to the effect of suspension of Inspector General of Police Rajinder Singh was issued by the Parkash Singh Badal Government on Wednesday, a top officer of the State Government said here on Thursday.

“A copy of the order signed by Mr. Badal is also forwarded to the Home ministry,” Principal Secretary (home) B C Gupta said here.

However, Mr. Singh, a 1982-batch IPS officer, posted as IG (counter intelligence) at Pathankot, deplored the order while claiming that he was apprehending “false proceedings” against him.

“The Government suspended me without even taking my version about the accusations of my interference in the functioning of a private institute,” Mr. Singh said refuting the charges levelled against him.

Punjab police chief N.P.S. Aulakh marked an inquiry after he received a complaint against the IG alleging that the officer was making attempts to grab and take over a private institute at Ropar.

Another complaint against the IG alleged that the officer was using “unconstitutional methods by misusing his position” to grab property, the officer said.

Mr. Singh is the second senior officer in the police ranks in Punjab after police chief S.S. Virk who is allegedly facing the “ire” of Badal Government for his “proximity” with the previous Chief Minister.

Livid over his “hasty” suspension Rajinder Singh described it as an act of “vendetta” against him by the State Government and threatened to go to court against the decision.

Claiming that his life was under threat, the official said, “I fought fearlessly against militants in Amritsar from 1985 to 1990 and never compromised on any issue. I have got registered cases against Sukhbir Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal chief) prior to 1999 Assembly polls.”

Alleging that the Badal Government was biased against him, the official, who had also been awarded with the Indian police medal in the past, said his security and that of his family was never taken seriously by the administration.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government served the suspension letter to the officer on Thursday and also withdrew the security provided to him. -- PTI

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