Punjab cadre ex-IPS officer Lalpura reappointed NCM chief

Iqbal Singh Lalpura had quit as National Commission for Minorities chairperson in December to contest Rupnagar assembly seat as the BJP candidate, but lost

The central government on Tuesday re-appointed retired Punjab-cadre IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities.

Punjab-cadre IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura (retd) was first appointed chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) in September last year, but had to resign in December to contest as the BJP candidate from Ropar , an election he lost. (HT file photo)

Lalpura, who was first appointed as chairman in September last year, had to resign from the post in December to contest as the BJP candidate from Ropar assembly constituency, which he lost.

Lalpura got 10,067 votes and stood fourth.

A Sikh intellectual, who has written books on Sikh and Punjabi culture, Lalpura, was appointed BJP spokesperson in September last year. He had retired as deputy inspector general (DIG), Punjab Police, before joining the BJP in 2012.

“I received the official communication regarding my re-appointment on Tuesday. I re-joined duty on Wednesday,” said Lalpura, who belongs to Rupnagar district.

He served as the senior superintendent of police of Amritsar Rural, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts.