Punjab: Women's T20 captain loses DSP post over fake degree
What's the story
The Punjab government has landed in a major embarrassment: an Arjuna awardee, whom CM Amarinder Singh chose for appointment as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), has been found to possess a fake graduation degree.
Now, Indian Women's T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur will be demoted as a constable.
However, Singh has taken a "lenient view" of the controversy, sources said. Here's what happened.
Case
Kaur had joined police after six months of convincing Railways
Kaur, who was working as an Office Superintendent in Western Railways before, had been approached by Singh and offered a job in Punjab Police in July'17, after her performance in the Women's World Cup.
But since she had signed a five-year contract with Railways, she wasn't allowed to leave.
Singh had to intervene himself and finally got her relieved.
She was appointed as DSP in February.
Degree
Degree found to be fake during police verification
Kaur claimed to have a degree from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut. However, when the police department sent it for verification, they found out it was fake.
In her defense, she said that "her coach got her admission in the university, saying it was flexible about exams. She told us she...had no inkling that it was fake," a government official said.
Action
She will be elevated when she fulfils requirements: Official
There will be no relief, the official said. "We cannot relax the rules for her. A DSP has to be a graduate."
However, Singh was taking a "lenient view" considering she herself didn't know about the degree being fake.
Now, the government has appointed her as a constable. She will be elevated as DSP "when she fulfills her educational requirement."
History
This is the second such case in recent times
Reacting to the controversy, Kaur's father told News18, "She did her schooling from Moga (and) completed her remaining studies from Delhi and Meerut. She was provided a job by the Railways on the basis of the same documents."
Incidentally, this isn't the first such case. In February, CWG gold medallist Mandeep Kaur was removed as DSP after her degree was found to be fake.