Amritsar top cop transferred after Jantar Mantar remarks
What's the story
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has abruptly transferred Amritsar CP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Border Range, Amritsar, Harmanbir Singh Gill will now hold the additional charge as CP, Amritsar. The reason for this sudden reshuffle remains unclear but sources told TOI it may be linked to a controversial statement or decision allegedly made by Bhullar.
Statement controversy
Bhullar's statement and subsequent clarification
The transfer order came after the Amritsar Commissionerate announced it had busted two cross-border terror modules backed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and arrested nine suspects, including four juveniles.
In an August 4 briefing, Bhullar had said some arrested individuals visited Jantar Mantar for reconnaissance and planned to target protesters.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said they recovered three illegal pistols, four petrol bombs and nine live cartridges from the suspects.
Clarification
Punjab government's clarification after Bhullar's statement
The Punjab government later clarified that Bhullar had not stated that the accused were participants in the Jantar Mantar protests or that the protesters had any links with the terror module.
It stated that selective editing created a "wrongful impression" that the arrested people were associated with the protesters.
However, there is no official confirmation that his transfer was related to the Jantar Mantar statements.
Political implications
Political implications of Bhullar's remarks
Bhullar's transfer has invited criticism over the timing.
Former Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu questioned if Bhullar's revelations about the Jantar Mantar plot "trouble Kejriwal?"
"The timing of Gurpreet Bhullar's transfer is bound to raise eyebrows. Did his accurate revelations about the alleged Jantar Mantar plot trouble Kejriwal?" Bittu wrote in a post on X.