Chandigarh
Ending more than four years of an interim arrangement at the helm of Punjab Police, the state government on Friday appointed 1992-batch IPS officer Gaurav Yadav as regular Director General of Police (DGP), following consideration of a three-officer panel recommended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The appointment gives Yadav a minimum two-year tenure under the Supreme Court’s police-reform guidelines, while placing his record on organized crime, drug trafficking, and law and order under renewed scrutiny.
The decision came ahead of the October 13 deadline set by the Punjab and Haryana High Court amid concerns over the prolonged continuation of an acting police chief. Yadav, who has led the force as acting DGP since July 2022, immediately warned gangsters and anti-social elements that they would be pursued wherever they were hiding, in India or abroad.
“There is no place for gangsters and anti-social elements in Punjab. Wherever they hide, whether anywhere in India or abroad, Punjab Police will arrest them and bring them to justice,” he said in a video message, announcing that operations against gangsters and their networks would be intensified.
DGP Yadav also reiterated the force’s commitment to peace and communal harmony, warning that anti-national elements would not be allowed to succeed in their designs. Referring to a recent high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, DGP Yadav said the government’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign against drugs would be intensified, with government departments, police, and the public working together to eliminate drug networks and organized crime.
The Home Affairs Department issued the appointment order on October 9 after considering the panel forwarded by the UPSC on July 1. Besides Yadav, the panel included Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan — a senior officer heading the Punjab Vigilance Bureau; and Harpreet Singh Sidhu — a Special DGP who had returned from central deputation. All three belong to the 1992 IPS batch.
The government chose Yadav despite Chauhan being senior in the hierarchy, a decision likely to revive questions over seniority and the state’s preference for the incumbent police chief.
Under the Supreme Court’s directions in the Prakash Singh case on police reforms, a regular DGP is entitled to a minimum two-year tenure from the date of assuming charge. DGP Yadav is due to retire on April 30, 2029, leaving him approximately two-and-a-half years in service.
Yadav took charge as acting DGP on July 4, 2022, after the then police chief, VK Bhawra, proceeded on leave amid mounting criticism following singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder on May 29 that year. The killing triggered controversy over Bhawra’s remarks linking it to gang rivalry, while the State Government’s decision to reduce security cover for several VIPs, including Moosewala, and make the list public drew sharp criticism.
Bhawra subsequently sought central deputation and was later moved to the Punjab State Power Corporation as chairman, leaving Yadav at the helm of the police force.
The prolonged interim arrangement, however, drew legal scrutiny. The High Court’s deadline for appointing a regular DGP brought renewed urgency to a process that had remained unresolved for years. The Supreme Court has also questioned the continued appointment of acting police chiefs in several states.
The AAP Government had attempted to change the selection mechanism by passing the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in June that year. The proposed legislation envisaged a seven-member state-level committee to prepare a panel of three officers, a three-year tenure for the DGP, and greater state discretion in assigning additional charge when the post fell vacant.
The then Governor Banwarila Purohit reserved the Bill for the President’s consideration. With presidential approval not forthcoming, the proposed alternative to the UPSC-led selection process did not take effect, and the state eventually appointed Yadav through the existing procedure.
A 1992-batch Punjab-cadre officer originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, Yadav has served as SSP in Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ferozepur, and Chandigarh, besides holding posts including Jalandhar police commissioner and senior positions in Punjab Police’s Intelligence Wing. Before becoming acting DGP, he served as Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.
During his tenure, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) pursued suspects in the Moosewala murder case, while police operations were also conducted against pro-Khalistan separatist Amritpal Singh in 2023. The force strengthened its efforts to intercept weapons and narcotics smuggled by drones across the Pakistan border.
However, several high-profile killings, including those of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri, Dera follower Pardeep Singh and AAP worker Lucky Oberoi, raised questions about policing and public safety. The killings of police personnel, including ASI Harjit Singh in Amritsar and ASI Joga Singh on the Fatehgarh Churian road, added to concerns.
Another major controversy erupted over television interviews recorded by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Yadav initially denied that the interviews had been conducted in Bathinda or any other Punjab jail. A subsequent investigation found that one had been recorded at Kharar while Bishnoi was in police custody, prompting action against several police personnel, including a DSP.
