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Gaurav Yadav appointed special principal secretary to Punjab CM
1992-batch IPS officer will continue to hold the charge of ADGP, modernisation, but is being brought into CMO due to his wide experience in policing
Additional director general of police (ADGP) Gaurav Yadav was on Monday appointed special principal secretary to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
The reshuffle also saw the removal of another senior officer, Praveen Sinha, as the ADGP (prisons).
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Yadav, a 1992-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who is due to get promoted to the DGP rank, will continue to hold the charge of ADGP (modernisation), according to orders issued by the state home department.
It is learnt that Yadav has been brought in the chief minister’s office because of his wide experience in policing, and is likely to play a key role in the Aam Aadmi Party government, especially in taking decisions on core policing.
During Captain Amarinder Singh government’s tenure as well, ADGP, Special Task Force (STF), Harpreet Singh Sidhu was given the charge of special principal secretary to the CM so that he could directly report to Amarinder about special operations against drug trade.
As an IG, Yadav had also served as intelligence wing chief during the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government’s tenure in 2016.
ADGP prisons reshuffled
More surprising is the move to remove Praveen Sinha as the ADGP (prisons) as only a couple of days back the officer and his team was widely praised by jails minister Harjot Bains during a review meeting chaired by the CM.
“Sinha shall report to the DGP, Punjab. His posting orders will be issued separately,” the orders reads. ADGP (provisioning) Varinder Kumar has been given the additional charge of ADGP (prisons).
A senior officer in the state government, who did not wish to be named, said that Sinha was removed after his relations with the new jails minister turned sour over appointment of the new superintendent jail, Patiala, who is seen close to the Badal family. The controversy had erupted as former Akali minister Bikram Majithia is also lodged in the same jail.
