Ahead of crucial Assembly polls in Punjab which already faces a serious threat of disruption by elements from across the border, the Union home ministry has issued an advisory to the state administration cautioning it particularly about the role of the Punjab police not to favour one political party over the other. Interestingly, apart from politicians, those who have jumped into the poll fray this time are also top Punjab police officers and their wives, bureaucrats and other officials.
The MHA’s advisory follows concerns brought to its notice from the Punjab state congress president and other political leaders who have petitioned the ministry over possible bias and misuse of the state police and state machinery by the incumbent SAD-BJP government.
Senior government officials said the advisory was sent early this month after the matter was brought to the ministry’s notice.
Former Punjab director-general of the police (DGP) P.S. Gill, who retired in September last year and was appointed special advisor for security to deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, has been fielded as Akali Dal’s candidate for the Moga seat. The wives of two top police officers are also battling it out in the elections. Two-time Congress legislator Razia Sultana, wife of serving additional director general of police (ADGP) Mohammed Mustafa, is seeking re-election to the seat. Her opponent is the wife of former DGP Izhar Alam, Farzana Alam of the Akali Dal.
All eyes are also on 1980 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Darbara Singh Guru who quit his job as the principal secretary to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to become the official candidate of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal from the Bhadaur (reserved) assembly seat. More than half a dozen other bureaucrats or officials are also sweating it out this election season and have been fielded by the leading political parties.
The security agencies, meanwhile, are also keeping tight vigil after intelligence inputs pointed towards the notorious Babbar Khalsa International, trying to sneak in terrorists from across the border to target top political and religious leaders in the poll-bound state.