Cop-out? Punjab AIG seeks premature retirement after transfer to Bathinda jail

An official of the jails department said it was “unprecedented” that any officer had sought premature retirement by paying in advance the salary for the notice period months. The official added that this was indicative of the officer being very “miffed” at the department’s functioning. The application moved by Sidhu, a class-I gazetted officer, would be considered by the additional chief secretary of the prisons department for a decision.

Sidhu, who, according to a jail official, cited “domestic” reasons to seek premature retirement, was not available for comment despite phone calls and texts sent to him on his mobile number.

IG (prisons) Roop Kumar Arora said Sidhu was transferred to the Bathinda jail due to his “past experience” and since he was a “competent officer”. Arora said, “There are 11 posts of AIG-cum superintendent in central jails of Punjab. We have only two officers, Manjit Singh Sidhu and Rajiv Kumar Arora, who are regular AIGs after promotion. Three years ago, we posted seven officers, who came on deputation from the Border Security Force (BSF), as jail superintendents. Out of them, a few retired. Now, three such BSF officers — N D Negi, who was posted in Bathinda jail; Anurag Azad, who was posted in Amritsar jail; and Gurnam Lal, who was posted in Ropar jail — were to be repatriated to the BSF after completion of their deputation period.”

“We have transferred AIG Manjit Singh Sidhu to the Bathinda as jail superintendent. He has prior experience serving in Bathinda twice and is considered a competent officer. Bathinda jail is one of the most important jails where CRPF personnel are deployed, in addition to state-of-the-art security measures, including the jammer,” Arora added.

The IG said in the order on Wednesday, Rajiv Kumar Arora was transferred to the headquarters in Chandigarh as two officers were to retire next year.

In the application seeking early retirement from service and immediate relieving, Sidhu mentioned that he joined as an assistant superintendent in the Punjab prisons department on December 5, 1997, and completed 26 years, eight months, and 16 days of service by August 31, 2024.

An official later said that AIG Sidhu had conveyed to the department that he has reconsidered the decision and decided to withdraw the resignation.