Patiala: Senior Congress leader and retired ADGP Gurinder Singh Dhillon IPS has repeatedly highlighted the rising corruption in Punjab despite official claims of a “zero-tolerance” policy.Dhillon, a 1997-batch IPS officer who served as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) before taking voluntary retirement in April 2024 and joining the Congress, has been vocal about the issue through social media posts, interviews, and public comments. He has pointed out that while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government frequently asserts a strict zero-tolerance approach toward corruption, drugs, and organised crime, the ground reality shows the opposite trend.
In statements and posts, Dhillon has described corruption as having “spread like gangrene” across key sectors of governance in Punjab. These include mining, excise, urban development, food procurement and distribution, agricultural support systems, land encroachments, the anti-drugs campaign, efforts to curb organised crime, and illegal human smuggling networks run by travel agents. He has also flagged reports of police resorting to false encounters to cover up failures amid declining law and order, along with rising extortion targeting businessmen that has led to an exodus of investors and entrepreneurs from the state. Dhillon has argued that this persistent and growing corruption, combined with other issues such as youth migration and economic stagnation, has dragged Punjab from its earlier position of strength to much lower rankings on development indicators.
He has urged the government to focus on genuine reforms rather than political rhetoric, emphasising that without addressing the deep-rooted nexus between politics, bureaucracy, and criminal elements, claims of zero tolerance remain hollow.His remarks come against the backdrop of several high-profile corruption cases involving police officers and officials in the state, which opposition leaders, including those from Congress, have cited as evidence that corruption continues to flourish despite repeated assurances from the government.