9 Olympic medallists among 11 Punjab players get PCS, PPS jobs

The last time the Punjab government had appointed international medallists as PPS officers was in 2016 when the then Parkash Singh Badal government handed appointment letters to nine players, including 2014 Asian Games gold medallists. In 2010-2011, Badal had also appointed 10 international medallists as DSP’s, including shooter Avneet Sidhu Hundal, Rajpal Singh and others. In 2018, the Captain Amarinder Singh governent had appointed cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur and mountaineer Prithvi Singh Chahal as DSP in Punjab Police.
However, Kaur didn’t join the service.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medal winning hockey player and current Indian hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, 28, from Timmowal village in Amritsar, shared his joy of getting a PPS job in the state government. “Bahut mann di gal hai (It’s a matter of huge pride). My father Sarabjit Singh always wanted to see me in police uniform and everyone is delighted. My daughter Ruhanat is just eight months old and I am sure, by the time I complete my training, she will learn to salute too,” he says.

Shamsher Singh, 26, who hails from border town Atari grew up in a family of farmers. Shamsher was intrigued by hockey from an early age and was also inspired by seeing former Indian hockey player Jugraj Singh. Shamsher too now would be donning the police uniform.

“Jugraj, who is a SP now with Punjab Police, had come to a school function while posted as DSP nearby. I remember seeing him in uniform and it became my dream to wear it too someday. Nobody in our village or nearby villages has become PPS or PCS and it will be a huge inspiration for the players as well as youth there,” said Shamsher.

It was celebration time too for the extended family of cousins Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh at their respective villages of Khalaira in Amritsar and Chahal Kalan in Gurdaspur. Both the families own agricultural land and none of their family members works for the state government. “When me and Simranjeet returned from Tokyo, children from nearby villages came to see our Olympic medals. Now that we have been appointed as PCS officers, the whole village is eager to see us serving the state one day,” says Gurjant Singh, 29.

His father Baldev Singh is quick to add, “The prize money is a different thing but getting a job is more important. It makes the future generation think about taking up sports as a career,” says Baldev.

Simranjeet’s father Iqbal Singh, who was at the family farmland in Majhara village in Pilibhit district in Uttar Pradesh, too sounded ecstatic. “Asi tan khet hi dekhe sari umar (We have seen the farm only in our lives). Both Simranjeet and Gurjant loved hockey and whatever they have achieved is due to hockey,” says Iqbal. The other appointees included hockey players Mandeep Singh, Varun Kumar, Dilpreet Singh, shot putter Tejinder Pal Singh Toor, Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur (all PPS) and Rupinder Pal Singh (PCS). Toor, who won his second Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou last year, is from Khosa Pando village in Moga and had lost his father Karan Singh to cancer in 2018. “My father always wanted to see me in a government job. I am the only PPS officer from Khosa Pando and this will surely inspire others,” Toor said.

Meanwhile, Mann encouraging the players, said that these jobs have now got an enhanced value with international medalists being given the appointment letters. “We want to use the expertise of these players for the state and I assure them full support during their training.We will also appoint other international medallists in other departments,” he said.