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Punjab Police Advisory Controversy Escalates Political Tension
By Drooid · · How we work
Alleged Security Advisory Sparks Political Row
On Tuesday, Punjab opposition leaders Amrinder Singh Raja Warring (Congress state chief) and Bikram Singh Majithia (Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary) posted on X a document they said was an internal circular from the Border Range Police, Amritsar. The circular, purportedly dated September 18, instructed police personnel to avoid wearing uniforms while travelling to or from duty, to travel in pairs, and to vary routes to prevent predictability. The leaders presented the document as evidence that police operating under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government were working “in fear.”
Content of the Alleged Circular
According to the posted text, the advisory—attributed to Inspector General Gurpeet Singh Bhullar, Border Range, Amritsar—directed senior superintendents in Amritsar Rural, Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot to implement a “Buddy Pair System,” report departures and arrivals to control points, and avoid predictable travel patterns. It also advised officers to wear plain clothes, conceal badges and equipment, and maintain heightened vigilance when checking unidentified persons or vehicles. The document referenced the need for 360-degree security coverage at checkpoints and coordination with anti-gangster and anti-narcotics task forces.
Punjab Police Denial
The Punjab Police responded on its official X account, stating that no advisory of this nature had been issued by the headquarters or any subordinate office. The department labeled the circulating messages as “fake” and urged citizens and police personnel to rely only on official channels for authentic information. No record of such a circular exists in the police’s internal communications, according to the statement.
Opposition Reaction
Warring and Majithia, citing the alleged letter, accused the Mann administration of deteriorating law-and-order conditions. Majithia called for an independent forensic analysis of the document to verify its authenticity. Both leaders linked the advisory to a recent incident on September 18, when an assistant sub-inspector was shot dead in Amritsar, suggesting the alleged instructions reflected heightened security concerns.
Context and Implications
The episode has become a flashpoint in Punjab’s political landscape, with opposition parties using the purported advisory to question the Mann government’s handling of police safety and public security. The police’s outright denial, however, underscores a dispute over the authenticity of the document and highlights the broader challenge of misinformation in regional political debates.