“Don’t Travel Alone”: Punjab Police Advisory to Cops Sparks Opposition Attack on Bhagwant Mann Govt

Congress leaders say the security circular, issued after a police officer's killing in Amritsar, exposes a law-and-order crisis in Punjab

PGurus Newsdesk

September 22, 2026

Internal circular directs police in four border districts to avoid uniforms and adopt a "buddy pair" system while commuting

Advisory follows the killing of an Amritsar police officer allegedly orchestrated from Pakistan

A confidential Punjab Police security advisory instructing personnel to avoid wearing uniforms while commuting and to travel in pairs has triggered a political storm, with opposition leaders accusing the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government of presiding over a collapse in law and order in the border state.

The advisory was issued by the Office of the Inspector General of Police, Border Range, Amritsar, and addressed to the Senior Superintendents of Police in Amritsar Rural, Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. It lays out a series of precautions meant to strengthen the personal security of police personnel and sharpen vigilance at checkpoints and other sensitive locations.

What the advisory says

Among its directives, the circular tells officers to avoid travelling in uniform to and from their duty points, instructing them to change into civilian clothes before leaving police stations, checkposts or their residences. It also bars personnel from publicly displaying badges, identification marks or official equipment that could reveal their identity as police while commuting.

The advisory further mandates a “buddy pair system” so that personnel do not travel alone, along with regularly varying daily commuting routes to avoid becoming predictable targets, and maintaining heightened alertness against possible surveillance by criminal elements.

The guidance follows the killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjit Singh, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Hakima police station area of Amritsar while on patrol duty. Amritsar Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill has said the killing was orchestrated by an individual based in Pakistan, who allegedly lured the accused with money and promises tied to the narcotics trade. One accused was killed in a subsequent police encounter at a checkpoint on Thanda Road; another remains at large.

Opposition seizes on the advisory

The leaked circular quickly became a political flashpoint. Congress leader Pawan Khera said the state has deteriorated to a point where the police chief had to order personnel not to wear their uniforms in public for their own safety, calling it a sign of how far things had fallen.

Khera’s remarks came in response to a post from Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who invoked the image of Rome burning while Nero played the flute, arguing that Punjab was in crisis while Mann joked on stage. Warring shared an audio clip of a police officer briefing personnel on the precautions alongside the official circular.

Not the first flashpoint over security

The advisory adds to a running opposition narrative about deteriorating security in Punjab. Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa has previously clashed with the state government over his claims that explosives had been smuggled into the state, and was booked by Punjab Police over those remarks — a move Congress called an attempt at intimidation. Chief Minister Mann has pushed back on such criticism in the past, urging opposition leaders to avoid “fear-mongering” and pointing to Punjab’s history of surviving terrorism and violence.

The state government has not yet issued a detailed public response to the latest advisory or the opposition’s criticism.

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