Senior Punjab IPS officer Gurinder Singh Dhillon joins Congress after voluntary retirement

“During these interactions, I found out that Rahul-ji is a great human being. He carries humility and is down to earth. He has excellent interpersonal skills. His interaction with the general public during the Bharat Jodo Yatra carried a personal touch. He has a high social quotient. I found him to be a humble devotee while doing sewa at Darbar Sahib. He did sewa at joda ghar (shoe cleaning service), washed utensils, did langar sewa and sewa of palki sahib. He paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum and Sri Akal Takht Sahib like a humble servant of Guru,” he added.

“I read a lot. During one of those readings, I read that someone asked Christ who will lead the world and he said the humble will lead the world. I am sure Rahul Gandhi-ji has that humility and he is that humble person. And this is my firm belief,” Dhillon further said.

Dhillon said he had served the state “from militancy to all acute issues of Punjab” and “in various wings and tried to give the best possible”. “Whatever diverse experience I gained from the police service, I place at the disposal of the Congress party and its leadership,” he added.

Question on contesting elections

Asked if Dhillon could be fielded from Ferozepur, the only seat in Punjab where the Congress is yet to announce a candidate, Devender Yadav said, “I want to make it clear that Gurinder-ji has joined the Congress to adopt the party ideology.”

Yadav also said that Dhillon would work as “an asset to the party, which will entrust him with responsibilities as per his ability”.

Dhillon added, “It is very easy to fall into fighting an election. I first of all will request the party that I would like to first serve as a humble servant, walk with the general public like a common man, see their problems and if in future they decide they want, then I will be able to do it (contest the election). At the same time whatever the party high command demands, that will be my command, as a disciplined soldier.”

Bharat Jodo Yatra controversy

Dhillon was an inspector-general of police when Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Punjab in January last year. During the yatra, a man had rushed towards Gandhi trying to embrace him, before being quickly pushed away by state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

Denying reports of a “security lapse”, Dhillon then said, “I have verified it. Rahul-ji himself called him (the man) and then he tried to hug him (Rahul Gandhi).”

Later at a press conference, Gandhi also said there was no security breach. “I do not know why you are calling that a (security) lapse. I think the person was checked by the security people. He was a bit overexcited. There is quite a lot of enthusiasm in the yatra, many people get overexcited and that was the case where he was a bit extra-charged up, so there is no problem in that,” he said.

A 1997-batch IPS officer, Dhillon wrote on the X website on April 24, “I have taken VRS from my Police service. I am feeling uncaged. let’s see where wind of destiny pollinates me.” He was due to retire on May 31.

He started his career as deputy superintendent of police in Jalandhar and served in various positions in intelligence, anti-drug special task force, Bureau of Investigation and other wings.