Chandigarh: Days after being caught in a controversy over his purported statement linking Pakistan ISI-backed terror modules busted by the Punjab Police with protesters at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Amritsar’s Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar was on Friday transferred out of the key post.
Bhullar has been replaced by Deputy Inspector General, Border Range, Harmanbir Singh Gill, who was given the additional charge.
As per the official order, Bhullar, who was leading the probe that exposed an ISI-linked plot, was asked to report to the Director General of Police’s office in Chandigarh.
This week, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police busted two ISI‑backed cross‑border terror modules with the arrest of nine individuals, including four juveniles, and recovered three illegal pistols along with nine cartridges and four petrol-bottle bombs.
After videos of Bhullar’s press briefings went viral on social media, a Punjab Police spokesperson on Thursday said distorted excerpts from the press conference held by the Police Commissioner in Amritsar on August 4, during which details regarding the police’s busting of a terrorist module were shared, were an attempt to link the protests at Jantar Mantar with ISI-backed terrorist modules.
The spokesperson said the Police Commissioner had mentioned that some of the arrested individuals had conducted reconnaissance at Jantar Mantar and planned to target protesters using petrol bombs. He clarified that no statement was made suggesting that the arrested individuals had participated in the protests or that the Jantar Mantar protesters had any connection to the module.
The spokesperson said the altered background visuals, selective video editing, and accompanying captions or explanations “are incorrect and create a misleading impression that the arrested individuals were linked to the Jantar Mantar protests”.
“While the audio and factual content of the press conference itself were not altered or morphed, the selective editing and accompanying captions fail to accurately represent the press conference. These appear to be attempts to convey the Police Commissioner’s statement in an incorrect and misleading manner.”
The spokesperson further said appropriate legal action is being taken in this matter in accordance with the provisions of the Information Technology Act.
An official statement of August 4 quoting Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused were acting at the behest of foreign‑based ISI handlers, who were attempting to recruit local youth to carry out terror‑related activities, conduct surveillance of security installations, procure illegal weapons and disturb public peace.
Responding to the transfer of Police Commissioner Bhullar, former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu wrote on X: “The timing of Gurpreet Bhullar’s transfer is bound to raise eyebrows. Did his accurate revelations about the alleged Jantar Mantar plot trouble (AAP chief Arvind) Kejriwal?”
(IANS)
