Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar? Senior Punjab police officer arrested in corruption scandal

Harcharan Singh Bhullar, a 2007-batch officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS), was arrested in connection with an ₹8 lakh bribery scandal. Bhullar, who served as the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Ropar Range, was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday (October 16), after substantial evidence linked him to the illegal transaction. The case, which had been registered on October 11, involves Bhullar allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for favouring a scrap dealer who faced false charges in an FIR filed in 2023.

Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar?

Harcharan Singh Bhullar hails from a notable family; his father, Mehal Singh Bhullar, was a former Director General of Police in Punjab, and his younger brother, Kuldeep Singh Bhullar, served as a Congress MLA. Bhullar, who took charge as DIG of Ropar in November 2024, has held various key positions within the Punjab Police. His previous roles included DIG of the Patiala Range, Joint Director at the Vigilance Bureau, and Senior Superintendent of Police in districts such as Jagraon, Mohali, and Fatehgarh Sahib. He was also tasked with heading the Punjab Police's special investigation team (SIT) that investigated drug smuggling, notably involving Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

Additionally, Bhullar played an active role in the state government's anti-drug campaign, 'Yudh Nashian Virudh'.

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What is the case against Harcharan Singh Bhullar?

The case against Bhullar stems from his demand for an ₹8 lakh bribe from a scrap dealer, Akash Bhatta, through a middleman named Kirshanu. Bhatta, who was implicated in a 2023 case involving fraudulent bills, claimed that Bhullar sought the bribe to help resolve the matter. Furthermore, Bhullar allegedly demanded a monthly payment of "sewa-paani" (a term for bribe) to prevent further police action against Bhatta’s business.

Bhullar is also accused of threatening Bhatta with fabricated criminal charges if the bribe wasn’t paid. In addition to the bribe, Bhullar was charged under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 61(2) of the Indian Penal Code. Following his arrest, CBI teams raided various properties linked to Bhullar, including his office and private residence in Chandigarh's Sector 40. During the raids, authorities recovered ₹5 crore in cash, over 1.5 kilograms of gold, 22 luxury watches, and other assets.