Who is Harcharan Bhullar, Punjab DIG caught for demanding lakhs as ‘sewa paani’
Harcharan Singh Bhullar demanded ₹8 lakh and monthly bribes, referring to it as ‘sewa paani’ from a scrap dealer in exchange for settling a 2023 case.
Harcharan Singh Bhullar, a 2007-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and the deputy inspector general (DIG) of police of the Ropar range, was arrested on Thursday in an ₹8 lakh bribery case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took Bhullar into custody from his office in Mohali after finding substantial evidence in the illegal gratification case, a complaint for which was registered on October 11.
Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar?
Harcharan Singh Bhullar is the son of the former Punjab Director of Police, Mehal Singh Bhullar. His younger brother, Kuldeep Singh Bhullar, is a former Congress MLA.
Before assuming charge as the Ropar DIG in November 2024, Bhullar had served in several positions. He was previously the DIG of the Patiala Range, Joint Director of the Vigilance Bureau, and Senior Superintendent of Police in Jagraon, Mohali, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur.
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The Ropar Range comprises the districts of Mohali, Rupnagar, and Fatehgarh Sahib.
He also headed the Punjab Police's special investigation team (SIT), which was probing a drug smuggling case against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
Additionally, Bhullar was an active part of the Punjab government's anti-drug drive, 'Yudh Nashian Virudh'.
He is the first senior Punjab Police officer to be arrested for graft under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
What is the case against Harcharan Singh Bhullar?
According to the complaint, Bhullar was demanding a bribe from a scrap dealer through a middleman, identified as Kirshanu. The bribe of ₹8 lakh was demanded in exchange for settling a 2023 FIR registered against the scrap dealer, Akash Bhatta, at the Sirhind police station.
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The complainant, Bhatta, had claimed that he was booked in the 2023 case on false allegations that he was using fake bills.
Harcharan Singh Bhullar also demanded monthly bribes, referring to it as "sewa-paani", to ensure that no further police action is taken against the complainant's scrap business.
The Ropar DIG also threatened to falsely implicate the complainant in criminal cases if he failed to pay the bribe.
The CBI registered a case against Bhullar and his middleman under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
While Bhullar was arrested in Mohali, CBI teams also conducted raids at several locations linked to the DIG, including his office and private residence in Sector 40, Chandigarh.
Police recovered ₹5 crore in cash, more than 1.5 kilograms of gold, 22 luxury watches, and many other items.
