10K Cops Transferred in Panjab, CM & DGP Differ on Reasons

On 18 Jun, Panjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced the transfer of 10K policemen in the state. After chairing a meeting attended by Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police, Mann said the transfers were made after he realized drug peddlers had a nexus with police. ‘There is a nexus at the munshi level (record keeper). The Station Head Officers have been posted at the same police station for 10-20 years. That is why I ordered en masse transfers.’ Mann added, the Panjab police has prepared a database identifying 9K drug peddlers and 750 hotspots where narcotics are sold. With such a large number of transfers – the Panjab police strength is 93K personnel – the reputation of the police is now at stake. On 20 Jun, in an interview with The Tribune for the show Decode Punjab, DGP Yadav, spoke on drug smuggling, and said they had evidence about the involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). ‘Since 2019, as many as 906 drones have been sent from across the border. This year too, the Panjab Police in coordination with the Border Security Force shot down 101 of 247 drones so far.’ On transfers he emphasized, ‘Nobody in this reshuffle is involved in drug-related cases. There is no taint on anyone.’ After AAP could win only three out of thirteen seats in the recent Panjab elections, the transfers seem to be prompted by the need to demonstrate the govt. is serious about ending the drug menace.