Chandigarh October 1:
A day before he hangs up his boots, Punjab DGP P S Gill -- who is under EC scanner for alleged political ambitions -- has been appointed as adviser, home. He will now be advising the department, which controls the state police force.
Gill's new appointment will be effective from October 1, a day after he retires from the police department. Anil Kaushik, a 1975 batch IPS officer and DGP, prisons, will succeed Gill as the Punjab DGP. "It's a political decision. All of us came to know about the appointment today," said a top government official, who was among those bureaucrats who were taken aback by the news. The development has an interesting implication of a role reversal of sorts - Gill will now be the boss of home secretary to whom he had been reporting till now. Some of the bureaucrats were quick to bestow him the title of 'super DGP' after hearing the news.
Power corridors are also abuzz with speculation on the implications of the move, especially in the light of the EC's directions to the DCs to monitor Gill's movement after opposition parties claimed that he was "misusing" his official position to campaign in Moga while still in service. "It's like giving him a free hand now to wield power without any accountability of previous appointment, since the new post will not be constitutional in nature," said a senior cop.
"The terms and conditions of the new post are yet to be finalized. All I can say is that it is not a constitutional post," said chief secretary S C Agrawal, who wasn't sure whether Gill will be advising only the secretary, home or the CM. "The details are yet to be worked out," he added. Gill was not available for comments despite repeated attempts to contact him.
A day before he hangs up his boots, Punjab DGP P S Gill -- who is under EC scanner for alleged political ambitions -- has been appointed as adviser, home. He will now be advising the department, which controls the state police force.
Gill's new appointment will be effective from October 1, a day after he retires from the police department. Anil Kaushik, a 1975 batch IPS officer and DGP, prisons, will succeed Gill as the Punjab DGP. "It's a political decision. All of us came to know about the appointment today," said a top government official, who was among those bureaucrats who were taken aback by the news. The development has an interesting implication of a role reversal of sorts - Gill will now be the boss of home secretary to whom he had been reporting till now. Some of the bureaucrats were quick to bestow him the title of 'super DGP' after hearing the news.
Power corridors are also abuzz with speculation on the implications of the move, especially in the light of the EC's directions to the DCs to monitor Gill's movement after opposition parties claimed that he was "misusing" his official position to campaign in Moga while still in service. "It's like giving him a free hand now to wield power without any accountability of previous appointment, since the new post will not be constitutional in nature," said a senior cop.
"The terms and conditions of the new post are yet to be finalized. All I can say is that it is not a constitutional post," said chief secretary S C Agrawal, who wasn't sure whether Gill will be advising only the secretary, home or the CM. "The details are yet to be worked out," he added. Gill was not available for comments despite repeated attempts to contact him.
