Chandigarh (19.02.2026): Harpreet Singh Sidhu (IPS: 1992: PB), who headed the first anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) in Punjab and was instrumental in introducing key measures to combat the problem of drugs, awaited posting nearly for 5 months after he was repatriated to the parent cadre in September 2025 from a central deputation with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), where he served as additional director general (ADG).

Sidhu was appointed by the then Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, to head the anti-drug STF, which was formed shortly after Captain took over as chief minister of the then Congress-led government in Punjab in March 2017. Captain especially got him for the task on premature repatriation from his central deputation with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which otherwise was to end in June 2018.

This is not the first time that an IPS officer remains without posting in Punjab. Among such instances, 1997-batch IPS officer ADGP Naunihal Singh remained without posting for about 10 months before he was given a posting in Sept 2024. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, the 2004-batch IPS officer who is currently serving as Amritsar commissioner of police, remained without posting for nearly two months before he got a new posting as IG (Provisioning) on Aug 2, 2024