Chandigarh: The Punjab government has transferred Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar a day after a controversy erupted over social media posts that falsely linked an alleged Pakistan ISI-backed terror module with protesters at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Bhullar has been directed to report to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters, while DIG Border Range Harmanbir Singh Gill has been given additional charge as Amritsar Police Commissioner.
The controversy stemmed from videos of Bhullar’s August 4 press conference that went viral on social media. According to Punjab Police, selective portions of the press conference were edited and circulated with misleading captions and visuals, creating the impression that the Jantar Mantar protesters were linked to the terror module.
In a clarification issued on Friday, Punjab Police said there was no connection between the protesters and the arrested terror suspects.
A police spokesperson said Bhullar had only stated that some of the arrested accused had visited Jantar Mantar, carried out reconnaissance, and had allegedly planned to target protesters with petrol bombs. He had not claimed that the arrested individuals participated in the protests or that the protesters had any links with the terror module.
The spokesperson further said that while the audio and factual content of the press conference had not been altered, the selective editing, captions and accompanying visuals misrepresented the context of Bhullar’s remarks.
Punjab Police also said appropriate legal action was being initiated under the provisions of the Information Technology Act over the circulation of the misleading content.
