DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has shot a letter to the state Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh Banwari Lal Purohit to express resentment over the removal of Punjab cadre IPS officer from post of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Chandigarh. In the letter written, the Chief Minister has apprised the Governor that post of Senior Superintendent of Police, Union Territory, Chandigarh has traditionally been occupied by a Punjab Cadre IPS Officer. Likewise, he said that an IAS officer of Haryana Cadre had been appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of the UT. However, Bhagwant Mann said that he was surprised to learn that 2009 batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre Kuldeep Singh Chahal has been repatriated to Punjab prematurely. The Chief Minister further said that much to the dismay of the state, the charge of SSP, Chandigarh has been given to a Haryana Cadre IPS Officer. He said that this move was unwanted and undesirable as this is going to disturb the balance among the states in running the affairs of UT, Chandigarh. Bhagwant Mann further said that if due to some reason SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal was to be repatriated, then a panel of suitable IPS officers should have been sought from Punjab well in advance. Seeking the kind intervention of the Governor in the matter, the Chief Minister said that the state government will shortly be sending a panel of three IPS Officers of Punjab cadre for the post of SSP, Chandigarh. He expressed hope that soon an IPS Officer of Punjab Cadre will be appointed as SSP, Chandigarh. Kuldeep Singh Chahal, a 2009-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was repatriated to Punjab -- his parent cadre -- on Monday even though he still had 10 months remaining in his three-year tenure in the Union Territory. He joined as Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in October 2020. Under the norms, the post of Chandigarh SSP (Law and Order) is reserved for a Punjab-cadre IPS officer while the SSP (Traffic) position is held by a Haryana-cadre officer. The order to repatriate Chahal was issued by Union Territory Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, who is also the Punjab governor. According to the relieving order issued on Monday, "The Administrator, Chandigarh, is pleased to relieve Kuldeep Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police, from the Chandigarh administration/police with immediate effect to enable him to join a new assignment with the government of Punjab." The charge was then handed over to SSP (Traffic) Manisha Chaudhary, a Haryana-cadre officer./ with inputs from PTI / AAP should firmly oppose the appointment of Haryana cadre IPS as Chandigarh SSP: Bajwa Chandigarh Senior Congress Leader and Punjab's Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday lambasted the Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann saying that he has taken a very mild stand to claim Punjab's right over Chandigarh. Bajwa was referring to the Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, Banwari Lal Purohit's order in which Haryana Cadre IPS, Manisha Chaudhary had been appointed as the new SSP of Chandigarh. "It seems that the AAP government has already surrendered Punjab's right over Chandigarh. Mann has yet to delete his July 9 tweet in which he demanded a piece of land in Chandigarh from the Centre for a separate Punjab Vidhan Sabha. This means that Mann still owns his statement in that tweet, which actually weakens the Punjab case", Bajwa added. After the Haryana speaker, Gian Chand Gupta sought separate land for Vidhan Sabha, Bajwa wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention and critically evaluating of Haryana's demand. "As the Haryana cadre IPS officer has been appointed as the new SSP of Chandigarh for the first time in history, the AAP government in Punjab should firmly oppose the move. I believe that AAP was working hand in glove with BJP that's why the BJP-led Haryana government has sharpened its attacks to claim rights over Union Territory", LoP added./ DW bureau / (editor@dailyworld.in)