CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday replaced incumbent intelligence chief Rajesh Jaiswal, a 1997-batch IPS in Punjab even as there were murmurs in the government that the party leadership is not liking the “bitching” politics being deployed by Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav to pit one against each other.
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Sources in AAP said that Yadav has been feeding different doses of information to AAP leaders against each other, including CM Bhagwant Mann, AAP Punjab president Aman Arora, AAP Punjab-in charge Manish Sisodia and two Delhi-based officials at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s residence – Bibhav Kumar and Vijay Nair – to hive-off benefits to stay in the power even as he has direct channels with several former DGPs including Suresh Arora, Dinkar Gupta and Sumedh Saini as well as prominent leaders of Opposition.
Sources in AAP also say that Yadav has become a “control freak” while routing directions through Special DG (law and order) Arpit Shukla where they demand work over “Google sheets” instead of allowing officers to work in the field, resulting in indiscriminate farmer protests, drug trade and attacks on shrines and killing of innocent in the state. Punjab has 135- RR (regular recruits) and 15 state police service (SPS) officers, with more than 82,000 police personnel.
With most senior IPS like Sanjiv Kalra (1989 batch) sidelined as Punjab Police (Home guards), Parag Jain (serving Centre as secretary in intelligence wing ) and his 1992-batchmates SS Chauhan, Kuldeep Singh and Harpreet Sidhu away, Yadav’s three-year tenure has ben dogged with embarassments for the government with multiple attacks on temples, civilians and even poll losses for the ruling party.
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Sources in AAP Punjab said that Yadav was keen on sending 16 commandos via train to Mumbai for the wedding of Nair but the move was disliked by Mann’s advisors.
“Such decisions are bad for creating bad blood within the AAP. Hence, no movement of commandos was approved in letter and spirit as it disturbs the chain of the command. We are not sure if A K Pandey, ADG of Special protection unit (SPU) prompted this move or anyone else,” said a senior AAP leader in Punjab Police.
On Monday, sources in AAP said that Yadav expressed displeasure over the appointment of 1994-batch IPS Pravin Sinha as new intelligence chief while speaking to close colleagues in police headquarters and also senior AAP leaders in Punjab.
AAP sources say that Yadav reasoned that Sinha could not get much headway in the probe on complaints regarding the involvement of fraudulent travel agents, following the big deportation exercise undertaken by US when it sent 104 and 116 Indian citizens from New York to Amritsar amid Trump’s announcement.
Sinha has worked alongside Yadav in the Punjab Police intelligence department earlier during Akali Dal regime.
AAP sources also said that Yadav, who is already empanelled as DGP in Centre, for a central deputation has also opened links with a section of BJP leaders, with ITBP chief Rahul Rasgotra and CISF chief R S Bhatti set to retire in September this year.
