The Punjab government has taken decisive action against senior police officials, suspending Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Maninder Singh on Saturday for alleged failure to tackle criminal activities in his jurisdiction.
Second High-Profile Suspension in Week
This development marks the second suspension of a senior police officer within days, creating significant ripples in Punjab's law enforcement establishment. The 2019 batch IPS officer was removed from his position following accusations of inadequate action against gangsters operating in Amritsar Rural district.
The suspension timing is particularly noteworthy, coming just one day after the declaration of Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll results. While the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) successfully retained the seat, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demonstrated unexpectedly strong performance, securing second position.
Previous Suspension Sets Precedent
Earlier, on November 8, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had suspended Dr Ravjot Kaur Grewal, the SSP of Tarn Taran district. The IPS officer, who had assumed charge only in September 2025, faced allegations of bias and misuse of police authority during Model Code of Conduct enforcement.
The controversy surrounding Grewal's tenure began when SAD candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa raised serious complaints about police surveillance and harassment near her campaign offices and rally locations. These allegations escalated into claims of systematic electoral interference.
Formal Complaint Triggers Action
The suspension of Grewal resulted from a formal complaint lodged by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal with the Punjab chief electoral officer. Badal accused the officer of orchestrating "false" FIRs against SAD leaders and workers to sabotage their election campaign.
Specific charges included criminal intimidation, conspiracy, and election misconduct. The complaint highlighted the arrest of three SAD workers - Varinder Singh, Shamsher Singh, and Balwinder Singh - on grounds related to anti-drug operations, organized crime, theft, extortion, and illegal arms possession.
The political party further alleged instances of police impersonation by unidentified individuals posing as officers and claimed targeted detentions were conducted to benefit the ruling AAP.
Election Commission Intervention
ECI observer Shyni S's report played a crucial role in the subsequent actions, highlighting "serious lapses in impartial conduct" and "concerted actions" by police across Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Batala, and Moga districts. This assessment prompted the election body to take decisive measures.
Following Grewal's suspension, Surinder Lamba, an IPS officer previously posted as AIG (Personnel-1) at Punjab Police Headquarters in Chandigarh, was appointed as the new Tarn Taran SSP after receiving necessary clearance from the ECI. Additionally, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar was assigned temporary additional responsibilities.
The Election Commission issued specific instructions to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, demanding an action-taken report within 36 hours. The commission also directed deployment of a senior officer not below Additional DGP rank to review the alleged wrongful arrests.
Contradictory Reports Emerge
In a significant contradiction, Ferozepur Range DIG Harmanbir Singh Gill submitted a report on the same day as Grewal's suspension (November 8) that completely exonerated the Tarn Taran police. The DIG's assessment labeled SAD's complaints as "baseless" and affirmed that all arrests were routine and lawful procedures under ongoing investigations.
This state-level clearance directly conflicted with ECI's reliance on the observer's findings, highlighting apparent tensions between central election oversight mechanisms and local law enforcement narratives.
Special DGP Ram Singh was tasked with leading the investigation into the alleged wrongful arrests, though he requested an extension until November 13 - just one day before the bypoll results were officially announced.
The consecutive suspensions of senior police officials within a short timeframe underscore the heightened political sensitivity and administrative scrutiny surrounding law enforcement operations during election periods in Punjab.
