From every regime’s blue-eyed boy to sudden exit: Who is Punjab IPS officer G S Bhullar?
The BJP on Saturday called shunted Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar an ‘honest officer’ and questioned the Punjab government over his ouster.
A day after Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar was removed from his position, the BJP Saturday termed him an “honest officer”.
Taking to X, the BJP wrote, “By removing from office the honest officer who exposed the truth about anti-national conspiracies and Pakistani links, whom exactly does the Mann government ultimately want to protect? This immediate panic from the government after the revelation of violent conspiracies raises several serious questions.”
The saffron party was referring to Bhullar’s alleged statement linking ISI with students’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Career spanning decades
A 1991-batch Punjab Police Services (PPS) officer, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar joined the Punjab Police as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Patiala. He was promoted to IPS in 2004.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Bhullar had mastered the art of administrative survival, irrespective of the political dispensations. He seamlessly secured key operational commands under successive Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administrations. Described as soft-spoken, diplomatic, and exceptionally skilled in communication, his recent removal was allegedly the result of a statement, which the Punjab Police claimed was “misinterpreted”.
He is a third-generation police officer; both his father, Guriqbal Singh Bhullar, and his grandfather also served in the Punjab Police.
Beyond his family pedigree, Bhullar attracted national headlines in 2016 following official property return filings, which revealed declared ancestral land, commercial plots, and residential properties valued at over Rs 152 crore, earning him widespread recognition as one of the wealthiest IPS officers in the country at that time.
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Throughout his career, Bhullar has commanded critical district and urban policing jurisdictions. During his early career as an SSP, he served across Muktsar, Moga, Ropar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana (Rural), and Bathinda. Notably, Bhullar holds the record as the longest-serving SSP of SAS Nagar (Mohali) since its creation in 2006, serving over four years during his first tenure from September 2009 to November 2013, followed by a second stint from 2015 to 2016.
Under Captain Amarinder Singh’s Congress government, he served as SSP (Vigilance) and SSP (Jalandhar-Rural) in May 2017, before stepping into city command as Police Commissioner of Jalandhar on September 30, 2018. He later assumed charge as Police Commissioner (Ludhiana) on September 22, 2021, under Charanjit Singh Channi’s government, and subsequently served as DIG for both the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Ropar Range under the AAP administration.
Bhullar’s tenure as Police Commissioner of Amritsar began in late 2023, a position he briefly lost after local AAP candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal’s defeat in the 2024 parliamentary election, but regained it quickly. In December 2024, an assassination attempt on SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple led to intense backlash from Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who publicly accused Bhullar of suggesting that the attack was staged for public sympathy and of delaying the FIR registration for six hours.
Most recently, on Friday, Bhullar was abruptly shunted out as Police Commissioner (Amritsar) and ordered to report to the DGP office in Chandigarh. The transfer followed a national political storm triggered by his August 4 press conference detailing an ISI-backed terror module’s reconnaissance at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site, which led to fierce political debates between the AAP-led state government and the Opposition BJP over framing of the investigation.
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Multiple attempts were made to reach out to Bhullar, but he did not respond to calls and messages.
Kamaldeep Singh Brar is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, primarily covering Amritsar and the Majha region of Punjab. He is one of the publication's key reporters for stories involving the Akal Takht, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and the sensitive socio-political issues of the border districts.
Core Beats & Specializations
Religious & Panthic Affairs: He has deep expertise in the internal workings of the Akal Takht and SGPC, frequently reporting on religious sentences (Tankhah), Panthic politics, and the influence of Sikh institutions.
National Security & Crime: His reporting covers cross-border drug smuggling, drone activities from Pakistan, and the activities of radical groups.
Regional Politics: He is the primary correspondent for the Majha belt, covering elections and political shifts in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
His work in late 2025 has been centered on judicial developments, local body elections, and religious controversies:
1. Religious Politics & Akal Takht
"Akal Takht pronounces religious sentences against former Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh" (Dec 8, 2025): Covering the historic decision to hold the former Jathedar guilty for granting a pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015.
"YouTube suspends SGPC’s channel for a week over video on 1984 Army action" (Nov 20, 2025): Reporting on the digital friction between global tech platforms and Sikh religious bodies.
"As AAP govt grants Amritsar holy tag, a look at its fraught demand" (Nov 28, 2025): An analytical piece on the long-standing demand for declaring Amritsar a "holy city" and its political implications.
2. Crime & National Security
"Mostly Khalistanis on Amritpal’s hit list: Punjab govt to High Court" (Dec 16, 2025): Reporting on the state government's claims regarding jailed MP Amritpal Singh orchestrating activity from prison.
"Punjab man with links to Pakistan’s ISI handlers killed in encounter" (Nov 20, 2025): Detailing a police operation in Amritsar involving "newly refurbished" firearms likely sent from across the border.
"15 schools in Amritsar get bomb threat emails; police launch probe" (Dec 12, 2025): Covering the panic and police response to mass threats against educational institutions.
3. Political Analysis & Elections
"AAP wins 12 of 15 zones in SAD stronghold Majitha" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant shift in the 2025 rural elections where the Akali Dal lost its grip on a traditional fortress.
"Tarn Taran bypoll: woman faces threats after complaining to CM Mann about drug menace" (Nov 9, 2025): A ground report on the personal risks faced by citizens speaking out against the illegal drug trade in border villages.
"AAP wins Tarn Taran bypoll, but SAD finds silver lining" (Nov 14, 2025): Analyzing the 2025 assembly by-election results and the surprising performance of Independents backed by radical factions.
4. Human Interest
"Two couples and a baby: Punjab drug addiction tragedy has new victims" (Nov 20, 2025): A tragic investigative piece about parents selling an infant to fund their addiction.
"Kashmiri women artisans debut at Amritsar’s PITEX" (Dec 8, 2025): A feature on financial independence initiatives for rural women at the Punjab International Trade Expo.
Signature Beat
Kamaldeep is known for his nuanced understanding of border dynamics. His reporting often highlights the "drug crisis in the underprivileged localities" (like Muradpur in Tarn Taran, Nov 9, 2025), providing a voice to marginalized communities affected by addiction and administrative neglect.
X (Twitter): @kamalsbrar ... Read More
