Gaurav Yadav, a 1992-batch IPS officer, on Tuesday took charge as the officiating director general of police (DGP) of Punjab after current state police head VK Bhawra proceeded on a two-month leave.
According to an official order issued on Monday, Yadav has been given the additional charge of the DGP in addition to his own duties during the leave period of Bhawra. Yadav was posted as special principal secretary to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
In a short video message soon after assuming charge as the state DGP, Yadav said in Punjabi: “The government’s priority is to control gangsters and the drugs problem. We want to give the state a secure environment and ensure law and order.”
Appealing for people’s cooperation, he said, “We want to give the state a friendly police.”
Counter-intelligence expert at the helm
Yadav, who is the son-in-law of former Punjab DGP PC Dogra, is a counter-intelligence expert. He had served as the intelligence wing chief during the SAD-BJP regime in 2016.
The state government can appoint the officiating DGP for a maximum of six months. Within this period, it has to send a list of IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission that will later send back a panel of three IPS officers to the state government for choosing one out of them.
Before applying for leave, DGP Bhawra had sought a central deputation.
Govt under fire over law and order
Yadav’s appointment came amid rival political parties attacking the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government over the alleged deteriorating law and order in the state.
The defeat of the AAP in the recently held Sangrur Lok Sabha byelections was also attributed to the law and order issue and the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala on May 29.
The Bhagwant Mann government has been facing criticism from opposition parties over several incidents, including the rocket-propelled grenade attack at the intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police in Mohali and the murder of a kabaddi player in Jalandhar.
Bhawra was appointed the DGP in January just before the model code of conduct came into force for the Punjab assembly elections.
The previous Charanjit Singh Channi government had selected Bhawra out of a panel of three officers shortlisted by the UPSC.