Amid Majitha row, Punjab transfers Amritsar rural SSP, 13 other officers

Chandigarh: Punjab govt on Monday transferred 14 police officers, including 11 IPS officers, with the reshuffle coming amid a political confrontation in Majitha that has put the functioning of Amritsar rural police under scrutiny.Among those shifted was Amritsar rural SSP Suhail Qasim Mir, who was transferred as AIG (personnel-I), Punjab, hours after addressing a press conference on a case involving Shiromani Akali Dal functionary Bikram Singh Majithia and his supporters.Mir had alleged that Majithia and others entered Majitha police station "forcefully and illegally" on Sunday in an attempt to secure the release of an accused from police custody. The police subsequently conducted raids at Majithia's residences in Amritsar and Chandigarh.The transfer order stated that the postings were made on administrative grounds with immediate effect.PPS officer Kanwal Preet Singh, serving as ADCP (industrial security), Ludhiana, has been posted as SP (headquarters), Amritsar rural, and will also look after the charge of Amritsar rural SSP until further orders. Tejbir Singh, who held the post, has been posted as assistant commandant, 80th Battalion, PAP, Jalandhar Cantonment.The reshuffle also saw Jalandhar commissioner of police Dhanpreet Kaur posted as director of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur. Ludhiana range DIG Satinder Singh replaced her as Jalandhar police commissioner.Faridkot SSP Pragya Jain was posted as AIG (law and order), while Gurbans Singh Bains was given additional charge of Faridkot SSP.Border range DIG Sandeep Goel was posted as Ludhiana range DIG, while Vivek Sheel Soni was assigned additional charge of Border range DIG.The developments come as the Punjab and Haryana high court is hearing a petition challenging the arrest of Jobanpreet Singh, an election agent of the SAD, in the Majitha case.