Punjab's AAP govt withdraws security cover of 184 former lawmakers, bureaucrats and religious heads

Aam Aadmi Pary (AAP) led Punjab government ordered withdrawal of security cover of 184 former lawmakers, bureaucrats and religious heads of the state on Friday evening. The security cover of their families has also been withdrawn.

While the AAP leadership claims to have taken decision in an attempt to end VIP culture, leaders of the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have accused the Bhagwant Mann government of targeting political figures to settle scores with them.

The Punjab Police on Friday ordered withdrawal of security cover of 184 former ministers and ex-MLAs, other leaders and some religious heads.

A letter issued by the Additional Director General of Police (security) states that the personnel deployed on specific orders of the courts, however, would not be withdrawn.

Bhagwant Mann, soon after taking over as Chief Minster of Punjab, had ordered to withdraw security cover of former leaders, bureaucrats and certain religious heads.

The letter dated April 20 was sent to senior police officers, including police commissioners and senior superintendents of police.

Prominent among those who stand to lose their security cover are former ministers Surjit Kumar Rakhra, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Madan Mohan Mittal, Tota Singh and Gulzar Singh Ranike.

The security cover of the family of former chief ministers and other ministers was also withdrawn.

Family of former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi; Raninder Singh, the son of former CM Amarinder Singh; Puneet Kaur, the wife of former minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon; Arjun Badal, the son of former finance minister Manpreet Badal, will lose their security cover.

Other family members of politicians to lose their security were Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, the wife of Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa; and Udaybir Singh, the son of former minister Sukhjinder Randhawa.

Security of Raninder Singh, son of former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has also been withdrawn.

Police also withdrew security cover of Rajeev Shukla, former MP and former chairman of IPL; Mahi Gill, who was the star campaigner for BJP in the state assembly polls; and Sidhant Chattopadhyay, the son of former DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyay.

The BJP leaders whose security cover was withdrawn included Punjab BJP general secretary Jiwan Gupta, former Punjab BJP chief Rajinder Bhandari and Rajesh Bagga.

The security of former Akali and Congress MLAs, including Gobind Singh Longowal, Jeet Mohinder Singh, Karan Kaur Brar, Balbir Singh Ghunas, Deep Malhotra, Mantar Singh Brar, Joginder Pal Jain, Arvind Khanna and Sarabjit Makkar was also withdrawn.

Punjab Youth Congress chief Barinder Dhillon, former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, former Jathedar of Patna Sahib Giani Iqbal Singh, and some SGPC members, including Amarjit Singh Chawla and Surjit Singh Garhi, also lost their security cover.

Last month, police had also withdrawn the security cover of some former ministers and MLAs.