E-Paper
Centre extends Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur’s tenure by a year
The 2013-batch IPS officer, who steered the UT through the new criminal law transition and high-voltage protests, stays at the helm until March 2027.
The Centre has approved a one-year extension for Chandigarh senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur.
According to an order issued by the department of personnel and training (DoPT) on March 16, the ministry of home affairs’ (MHA) proposal to extend Kanwardeep Kaur’s deputation from the Punjab cadre to the cadre (Chandigarh segment) has been cleared the appointments committee of the cabinet. While her initial three-year stint concluded on March 8, 2026, she will now remain at the helm of the Union Territory’s police force until March 2027.
The post of the Chandigarh SSP is traditionally reserved for an IPS officer from the Punjab cadre, while the SSP, traffic, post is filled by an officer from the Haryana cadre. This arrangement is part of the power-sharing agreement between the two states in the UT administration.
A 2013-batch officer, Kanwardeep Kaur took charge in March 2023 following a period of administrative friction. Her predecessor, Kuldeep Singh Chahal, was repatriated to Punjab prematurely in December 2022, months before his tenure ended, citing misconduct, a move that sparked a brief standoff between the Punjab government and the UT administration.
Achievements and challenges
Kanwardeep Kaur’s leadership has been defined by her “frontline-first” approach during law-and-order crises, such as the Panjab University (PU) PU Bachao Morcha protests in October 2025 over Senate election delays. She engaged directly with student leaders to prevent violence while maintaining a firm stance on keeping police nakas (checkpoints) to curb outsider interference on the campus.
During the 2024-25 farmer protests, she oversaw the sensitive Chandigarh-Mohali borders. Her strategy of containment without confrontation ensured that while protests were managed, essential lifelines, specifically the route to PGIMER, remained open to the public.
She played a key role in Chandigarh becoming the first jurisdiction in India to achieve 100% implementation of the three new criminal laws: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), BNSS, and BSA. Under her watch, the force transitioned to mandatory audio-video recording of crime scenes and digital evidence management. She prioritised the registration of ‘Zero FIRs’ to streamline justice in cases of crimes against women.
However, her tenure has not been without significant administrative and legal challenges, most notably the IPS officer Y Puran Kumar suicide case in October 2025. The senior Haryana IPS officer was found dead at his Sector 11 residence in Chandigarh. The case sparked a standoff between the Chandigarh Police and the deceased officer’s family, led by his wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar. The family initially refused to allow a post-mortem, demanding the immediate arrest of top Haryana Police officials named in Kumar’s eight-page suicide note.
Kanwardeep Kaur faced pressure when Amneet P. Kumar accused the Chandigarh Police of diluting the FIR. The family alleged that the names of high-ranking officers were not clearly entered in the accused column and that sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were understated. To ensure transparency, a special investigation team (SIT), headed by IG Pushpendra Kumar under the administrative oversight of SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, was formed. It is examining whether the professional witch-hunt alleged in the suicide note meets the legal threshold for active abetment. The case remains a major flashpoint, with the family frequently accusing the Chandigarh Police of being hesitant to arrest high-ranking Haryana officials.
PEC alumna to second woman UT SSP
A native of Mohali, Kanwardeep Kaur is an alumna of Punjab Engineering College (PEC), making her well-acquainted with the city’s socio-political landscape.
She is only the second woman IPS officer to serve as Chandigarh SSP, following Jagdale Nilambari Vijay (2017-20).
Before her UT deputation, she earned a reputation as a tough taskmaster while serving as the SSP in Ferozepur, Kapurthala, and Malerkotla.
She is a recipient of the Union home minister’s medal for excellence in investigation.
