Punjab DGP selection: State sends 14 IPS officers panel to UPSC for shortlist

The Punjab government has sent a panel of 14 senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission to shortlist three candidates for the regular Director General of Police. Acting DGP Gaurav Yadav is among those listed, alongside several Special DGPs, as the state moves forward with the Punjab Police leadership appointment process.

Sources said the Punjab government had sent a list of 14 senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission. The move is meant to help pick a regular Director General of Police for the state. Punjab Police is led by acting DGP Gaurav Yadav at present. The UPSC is expected to shortlist three names from the list.

The list included officers holding the DGP rank, sources said. It named 1992-batch IPS officer Gaurav Yadav. It also listed Special DGP Sharad Satya Chauhan, Punjab Vigilance Chief. Special DGP Anti-Narcotics Task Force Kuldeep Singh was included too. Senior IPS officer Harpreet Singh Sidhu, awaiting posting, also featured.

Punjab DGP selection panel sent to UPSC

Several other Special DGP-rank officers were part of the panel, sources said. The names included Gurpreet Kaur Deo, handling Community Affairs and Women Affairs. Jitendra Kumar Jain, posted with Punjab State Power Corporation, was listed. Shashi Prabha Dwivedi from Railway also featured. Sudhanshi Shekhar Srivastava, P K Sinha, Amardeep Singh Rai and V Neeraja were included as well.

Under the usual process, a state first forwards eligible officers for a regular DGP appointment. The UPSC empanelled committee then returns a set of three officers. The state then selects one as the police chief from that panel. Sources said the latest list was sent for this shortlisting stage.

Punjab DGP appointment and acting DGP concerns

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said last month that a panel would be sent for choosing a regular DGP. Earlier, Punjab had held back the panel despite repeated UPSC reminders, sources said. In February, the Supreme Court criticised some states, including Punjab, for continuing with acting DGPs.

The Punjab Police Amendment Bill in 2023 allowed the state to appoint the DGP through a separate state-level committee. The bill still awaited the President’s assent, sources said. The AAP government made Gaurav Yadav officiating DGP in July 2022. That decision followed V K Bhawra being sent on leave.

Earlier on Monday, the Punjab government appointed 1992-batch IPS officer Sharad Satya Chauhan as the states Special DGP-cum-Chief Director, Vigilance Bureau. Sources said Chauhan already featured in the list sent to the UPSC for the regular Punjab DGP post. The selection process now hinges on the UPSC returning three shortlisted names for final choice.

With inputs from PTI