E-Paper
Punjab cops take VRS route to settle abroad
In 5 years, six deputy superintendents of police and four superintendents of police have opted for VRS to go abroad
After 24 years in Punjab Police, Sangrur-based sub inspector Joga Singh, 56, has opted for voluntary retirement to head for Canada, where his children are permanent residents (PR). The SI is among 17 police personnel of Sangrur district alone to have taken VRS over the past year to go abroad for a comfortable life with their children in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
“I joined the police in 1989 as a constable but was mostly away at work during my children’s growing-up years given the nature of my job. Now that my son and daughter are settled in Canada, I thought of quitting this high-pressure job and relocating,” he says.
In Ludhiana, assistant sub inspector (ASI) Varinderjit Singh too opted for VRS in February, surrendering 12 years of service to head to the US, where his son works. “My daughter is also married in the US, so we have decided to spend the rest of our time there. Policing was good but hectic. It took a toll on my health,” he says.
Varinderjit and Joga Singh are among scores of Punjab Police personnel who have taken the VRS route to settle down abroad over the past few years.
According to data sourced from the Punjab Police headquarters, on an average, 40 personnel opt for early retirement in a year. This trend is not restricted to junior officers. In five years, six deputy superintendents of police and four superintendents of police have opted for VRS to go abroad.
Cops miss out on work-life balance
In Ludhiana police commissionerate alone, 91 police personnel from constable to assistant sub inspector took premature retirement in the past three years. They include 47 ASIs, 31 constables, eight head constables and five sub inspectors.
The number of those quitting the police service was the highest in 2020 when 30 police personnel, including 18 constables and 12 sub inspectors, took VRS. In 2021, 26 police officers in Ludhiana, including 13 constables, seven ASIs and six head constables, quit the force.
The number again rose to 28 in 2022 when five sub inspectors, 21 ASIs and two head constables opted for voluntary retirement. This year, seven ASIs have already opted for VRS.
According to Ludhiana police commissioner Mandeep Sidhu, “A police job is not easy. Not everyone can endure it. After a stage, personnel prioritise relaxation and spending time with family,” he says.
Thirty-five personnel, most of them assistant sub-inspectors, in the Amritsar police commissionerate have taken early retirement from April 2022 to March 2023, said a senior official requesting anonymity. “We have been noticing three to four police personnel taking premature retirement every month. Many of them are keen to go to Canada or Australia where their children are either working or studying,” he said.
Not new, political pressure plays role
According to senior officials at the police headquarters in Chandigarh, the trend of police personnel taking VRS to settle down abroad is not new in Punjab. A few years ago, a senior superintendent of police, Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti, took VRS to go to Canada where he learnt the ropes and started his own business. Many of his former colleagues say Bhatti’s exit was sudden as he stood up to political pressure in several cases.
“If the trend of settling down abroad has increased, how can the police service be in any way different? When anybody applies for VRS, no specific reason is sought. However, settling abroad is the common thread,” says IG, headquarters, Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill.
A retired DGP, requesting anonymity, admitted that pressure on policing has increased in previous years and freedom during work has been curtailed due to increased political interference.
Swift to make the move
An estimated 1.5 lakh-2 lakh students from Punjab go on study visas to different countries and end up working there with the hope of getting PR.
“Officers whose children settle abroad immediately head out. A few have even invested abroad while working as police officers here. They take obligation from NRIs to settle their wards in lieu of the help they offered as police officers,” a retired SP-rank officer says.
With inputs by Anil Sharma in Amritsar and Harmandeep Singh in Sangrur
