NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab after the state police issued an internal security advisory directing police personnel not to wear their uniforms while commuting to and from duty points for their personal safety.
Taking a direct swipe at the Bhagwant Mann-led administration, Khera highlighted the deteriorating law and order situation in the border state.
“The state of Punjab has deteriorated to such an extent that the police chief has had to issue an order for police personnel not to wear uniforms on roads or in public or private vehicles in order to keep them safe. If you believe, it’s possible!” Khera posted on X.
Khera’s reaction came in response to a post by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who took aim at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the state’s security climate.
“Rome was burning and Nero was playing the flute… Punjab is burning and Bhagwant Mann is telling jokes on the stage,” Warring said, sharing an audio briefing of a police officer cautioning personnel, alongside the official police circular.
The controversy stems from an internal security advisory issued by the Office of the Inspector General of Police (Border Range, Amritsar) addressed to the Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of Amritsar Rural, Batala, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot.
The advisory lists a series of precautions to strengthen the personal security of police personnel and ensure enhanced vigilance at checkpoints and sensitive locations.
Among the instructions, the letter explicitly directs police personnel to avoid travelling in uniform while commuting to and from their duty points, advising them to wear civil clothes before departing from police stations, checkposts, or residential locations.
The directive further instructs personnel not to publicly display badges, identification marks, or official equipment that could reveal their police identity during travel. It also mandates the adoption of the “buddy pair system” to prevent personnel from travelling alone, changing daily commuting routes to avoid predictability, and maintaining high alertness against potential reconnaissance by anti-social elements.
The advisory comes after the killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Harjit Singh in Amritsar. ASI Singh was on patrol duty when he was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Hakima police station area of Amritsar.
