Fact check: Punjab Police denies issuing advisory asking personnel to avoid commuting in uniform

Chandigarh, Sep 22 (IANS) The Punjab Police on Tuesday denied issuing any advisory directing personnel to avoid travelling in uniform while commuting between their homes and places of duty. Taking to X, the Punjab Police fact-checked the alleged advisory and said that neither Punjab Police Headquarters nor any other Punjab Police office had issued the advisory.

The department said that no advisory directing police personnel to: “Avoid wearing uniform while going to or returning from duty, wear civilian clothes while commuting to/from duty, was issued and such messages circulating on social media are fake and should be ignored, and citizens and police personnel are advised to rely only on official channels for authentic information.”

Earlier, a notice was being circulated that read that in the wake of the killing of Punjab Police ASI Harjit Singh, and keeping in view the safety of police personnel posted in districts along the Pakistan border, the Inspector General (IG), Border Range, has issued an advisory to police personnel, directing them to avoid travelling in uniform while commuting between their homes and places of duty.

However, the Punjab Police rejected issuing such an advisory.

ASI Harjit Singh was killed while performing his duty on September 18. Following the incident, police teams launched efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible for the killing.

A high alert was subsequently sounded across Amritsar and adjoining areas, with police intensifying checks at toll plazas and other key points as teams continued to search for the suspects.

Police later received specific information that the suspects were moving in the area and could potentially be looking for another target, prompting security teams to intensify their efforts to track them down.

One of the accused in the murder case of ASI Harjit Singh was killed in an encounter on September 19.

Punjab Police Commissioner Harmanveer Singh Gill said that while one of the main accused was killed during the encounter, his accomplice managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

Commissioner Gill also stated that the murder was part of a conspiracy involving Pakistan-based handlers.

According to him, the youths were lured with promises of money and a share in the illegal drug trade. The handlers demanded proof of loyalty by targeting police personnel.

Investigators also found that after shooting ASI Harjit Singh, the accused allegedly returned to the crime scene and recorded a 30–40 second video to send to their overseas handlers as proof that the task had been completed.

The act was reportedly captured on CCTV, while forensic examination of mobile phones is underway.

Commissioner Gill appealed to parents to closely monitor their children’s activities and protect them from being exploited through social media, drugs and criminal networks.

–IANS

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