Balbir Singh Seechewal, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Aam Aadmi Party representing Punjab, has asked police authorities to withdraw his personal security guards and post them at police stations instead. In a letter written on Tuesday, he told the state's police chief that rising cases of theft and robbery meant ordinary citizens needed protection more than he did.
Letter addressed to DGP Gaurav Yadav
The MP's letter was addressed to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. Seechewal informed the DGP that six security personnel are currently deployed for his protection. He requested that three of them be sent to Lohian Khas police station, while the remaining three be posted at Sultanpur Lodhi police station in Kapurthala district, so they could instead work to protect the general public.
Seechewal wrote in his letter, "Rising incidents of theft and other criminal activities have created an atmosphere of fear among the devotees."
Crime and drug abuse cases rising in the area
According to the MP, the Lohian belt of Jalandhar district and the Sultanpur Lodhi area have both seen a steady rise in theft, robbery and drug abuse cases, which he described as a matter of concern. He argued that the six guards assigned to his personal security are needed far more urgently at police stations, where they could help safeguard ordinary residents. This is not the first time Seechewal has raised such concerns with the DGP; he had previously written about the Malsian police post, where the number of deployed personnel was inadequate and residents were troubled by growing criminal activity. He also mentioned that his own ancestral village, Sicheval, witnessed eight theft incidents in a single night, during which thieves even made off with electric wires.
Concern over security near the holy Bein river
The letter also raised serious concern about the law-and-order situation around the holy 'Bein' river, a historic site associated with Guru Nanak Dev where thousands of devotees arrive daily to pay their respects. Seechewal said the rising theft and other criminal incidents near this revered spot have left devotees fearful, calling such activity near an important religious site deeply troubling.
Had initially declined the security cover
Seechewal also clarified in his letter that when the security detail was first proposed to him, he had turned it down himself, saying he did not perceive any threat. Despite his reluctance, the guards were deployed anyway. He has now urged the DGP to withdraw his security immediately and redeploy all six personnel across the two police stations so they can serve the wider public instead.
