NewDelhi, Sep 8 Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura has been appointedchairman of the National Commission for Minorities, sources said on Wednesday.
Lalpura,a BJP spokesperson who hails from Punjab and belongs to the Sikh community, hasauthored several books on Sikh philosophy and history.
He hasalso won several awards such as the president's police medal, police medal formeritorious services, Shiromani Sikh Sahitkar Award and Sikh scholar award.
Thecommission's vice chairperson is Atif Rasheed while five member posts arevacant, according to the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) website.
Earlierthis year, the Delhi High Court had asked the Centre to explain why as many assix out of seven posts at the NCM are lying vacant since October last year.
Thelast chairperson of the commission was Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi.
TheUnion government had set up the NCM under the National Commission forMinorities Act, 1992.
Initially fivereligious communities -- Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians(Parsis) -- were notified as minority communities by the Union government.Further through a notification, dated January 27, 2014, Jains were alsonotified as another minority community