Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura has been re-appointed as Chairman of the Minority Commission in Punjab. This is the second time that the Hon'ble Prime Minister has handed over the responsibility of this Commission to Iqbal Singh Lalpura, who is a BJP spokesperson from Punjab and belongs to the Sikh community. He has authored several books on Sikh philosophy and history.
Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura has also won several awards such as President's Police Medal, Police Medal for Valuable Services, Shiromani Sikh Sahitkar Award and Sikh Scholar Award. Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura is believed to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Iqbal Singh was also fielded by the BJP in the Punjab Assembly elections, which led to his resignation.
Also read: 9 senior IPS officers transferred in Punjab
It may be recalled that the NCM was set up by the Central Government under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. Initially, five religious communities - Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi (Parsi) - were declared minority communities by the central government. In addition, through a notification dated January 27, 2014, the Jains were notified as another minority community.