State tells Punjab to restore Virk’s security

It was pared down after he moved to Maharashtra

Maharashtra government has written to its counterpart in Punjab requesting it to restore the security blanket given to director-general of police (DGP), housing, Sarbdeep Singh Virk.

Taking a serious note of the Punjab government withdrawing the security cover, the principal secretary (Home), Maharashtra, has also written to the Union Home Ministry to intervene in the matter keeping in view the threat faced by the former Punjab DGP and his family at Chandigarh.

Virk, a Maharashtra cadre IPS officer, had spent 25 years in Punjab combating militancy. He survived three attempts on his life during those troubled times.

He was allotted 25 armed security personnel during his stint in Punjab. However, the number was reduced to 11 when he applied for his repatriation to Maharashtra. All the armed men served Virk for over 10 years and also guarded his Chandigarh residence.
“Suddenly on June 24, the Punjab government withdrew all the personnel without citing any reason,” said Pradeep Virk, the DGP’s son and a former IPS officer. “Even my name figures on the list of persons facing risk to their lives prepared by the Punjab government,” he said.

The DGP said that it was unfortunate that the Punjab government, which commended his anti-militancy role over the years, chose to put the lives of his family members at risk.
“It is yet another act of political vindictiveness unleashed by the Punjab government against me. They have lost the legal battle to retain and victimise me in Punjab, so now they want my family to go through the trauma of having no security cover,” he said.
“I have hired two private security guards to protect my residence in Chandigarh.”

Virk cannot bring his family to Mumbai as he has not been allotted residential accommodation here. “I am putting up in a small room at the Officer’s Mess,” he said.
p_baljeet@dnaindia.net