AAP MP Balbir Seechewal offers to give up security amid Punjab cop shortage

Seechewal also sent copies of the letter to the chief minister, governor, deputy commissioners, and senior superintendents of police for Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts.

Seechewal said he had been receiving information about police personnel shortages and that the situation had become more difficult amid the increasing number of crime incidents. He said the six personnel in his security detail could instead be deployed at police stations, where their services could be utilised to maintain law and order and prevent crime.

Seechewal said three of the six security personnel should be deployed at the Sultanpur Lodhi and Lohian Khas police stations, which he said were short-staffed. He also said the drug menace and related crimes are increasing and that more police staff are required in the region.

Balbir Seechewal says his request is not new

Seechewal said he had made the request earlier as well, stating that he did not require security cover. The letter comes at a politically significant moment for the AAP. Seechewal is the party’s only remaining Rajya Sabha MP from the state after the others—Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Rajinder Gupta, and Sandeep Pathak—defected to the BJP.

The move also comes against the backdrop of Seechewal’s long-standing public emphasis on social and environmental issues and his efforts to raise issues concerning ordinary people.

While VIP security and the diversion of police personnel for protection duties have often been debated in Punjab, Seechewal’s move to give up his security cover is likely to draw attention, said an AAP leader.

And the AAP government is facing the challenge of balancing security requirements for public representatives with the need to ensure adequate strength at police stations.