Amritsar Police chief transferred after Jantar Mantar remarks, BJP raises questions

New Delhi: The transfer of Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar has triggered political speculation because it came shortly after the police announced a major operation against alleged Pakistan-backed terror modules. The Amritsar commissionerate had announced the arrest of nine people, including four minors. Police also recovered three pistols, nine live cartridges and four petrol bottle bombs during the operation.

According to the police, the accused acted on the instructions of foreign-based Inter-Services Intelligence handlers and conducted surveillance of security installations.

Jantar Mantar link

During a briefing on August 4, Bhullar said the investigation found that some of the accused had visited Jantar Mantar and conducted reconnaissance. He alleged that they planned to attack protesters with petrol bombs. His comments drew attention because of the ongoing controversy over an alleged plot linked to protests at Jantar Mantar.

However, the Punjab government later issued a clarification over the remarks. It said the police commissioner had neither described the accused as participants in the protests nor suggested that the protesters had links with the alleged terror module.

Government issues clarification

The state government said selective editing of Bhullar’s comments had created a “wrongful impression” about a connection between the arrested people and the protesters. The government sought to separate the alleged reconnaissance conducted at Jantar Mantar from the identity and activities of those who took part in the demonstrations.

Bhullar’s transfer soon after the controversy has raised questions about whether his briefing influenced the administrative decision. However, neither the Punjab government nor the police have officially linked his transfer to the Jantar Mantar remarks.

Transfer turns political

The move has also sparked a political row. Critics of the Punjab government have previously accused Bhullar of having close ties with the Aam Aadmi Party. Some opposition leaders have described him as an “extended arm” of the ruling party. Former Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu questioned the timing of the transfer and sought to connect it with Bhullar’s disclosure about the alleged plot.

“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 said. The Punjab government has not responded to Bittu’s allegation. In the absence of an official reason connecting the two developments, claims that the controversy led to Bhullar’s transfer remain speculation.