VK Bhawra was named Director-General of Police by the Punjab government on Saturday.
Mr Bhawra was chosen from a group of three candidates put forth by the Union Public Service Commission, which also included Dinkar Gupta and Prabodh Kumar.
The appointment, which comes just days before the Election Commission releases the dates for next month’s elections, is the third under Chief Minister Charanjit Channi’s brief tenure.
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It also comes as the Punjab Police are in the crosshairs of the central government over security failures involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy earlier this week.
A Union Home Ministry team has called outgoing Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya and other senior officers to look into the circumstances that led to the Prime Minister’s motorcade being held up for 20 minutes on a flyover in Ferozepur district.
However, Bhawra succeeds acting DGP Sidharth Chattopadhyaya, who is under investigation for a security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s January 5 visit to Punjab.
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According to a government order issued in Chandigarh, Viresh Kumar Bhawra’s term would be for a minimum of two years from the day of assumption of office.
The state government had previously received a panel of three names from the Union Public Service Commission, including former DGP Dinkar Gupta, Bhawra, and Prabodh Kumar, for the top police position in the state.
Bhawra is the third DGP to be appointed by the Channi cabinet in as many months.
