Support pours in for 'MainBhiHarjeetSingh' campaign of Punjab Police

Police chiefs of at least four states and over 79,000 personnel in Punjab on Monday wore badges of SI Harjeet Singh's name in a show of solidarity against the Patiala attack in which his hand was chopped off by a group Nihangs.

The Punjab Police had on Monday launched a day-long campaign 'MainBhiHarjeetSingh', which received an overwhelming response with noted Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan and cricketer Harbhajan Singh posting videos on social media in support of the sub-Inspector.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh even shared a video of the policeman, showing that his left hand has started regaining movement after two weeks of the incident.

It has been 2 weeks since SI Harjeet Singh's hand was operated upon in PGI. I am extremely happy to share that he is recovering well & that his hand has started to regain movement. Sharing this video of braveheart Harjeet Singh with you all, the CM tweeted.

Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said his counterparts in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mizoram and Chandigarh changed their official badge to Harjeet Singh.

Over 79,000 policemen from Punjab changed their badge and posted messages and pictures on social media.

Over 2,000 cops in Hyderabad also wore the name plate of Harjeet Singh, Gupta said.

Even messages of support came from the police force in Kerala, Uttarkhand and Gujarat, said a government release.

Gupta said the campaign was launched to express solidarity with policemen and healthcare professionals involved in the fight against coronavirus.

"Let's show everyone that any attack on policemen & doctors fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines, like SI Harjeet Singh, will unite India together as one. In solidarity with SI Harjeet & all warriors, I urge you all to wear his name proudly on your chests today," Gupta tweeted.

Harjeet Singh's hand was chopped off with a sword when a group of Nihangs attacked police officials after being asked to show curfew passes at a vegetable market in Patiala on April 12.

Doctors had reattached his hand in a surgery at the Chandigarh's Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). The 50-year-old sub-inspector is recovering there.

Singh, then an assistant sub-inspector, was promoted to the rank the sub-inspector in recognition of his exemplary courage.

DGP Gupta said, We are overwhelmed by the flood of love and respect for SI Harjeet and the Punjab Police. I thank all our policemen, their families, friends and admirers, and all of the public for wishing us well in this hour of togetherness.