Who is Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh and why has he joined BJP?

Former IPS officer and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, resigned from the Punjab Legislative Assembly, has had a career spanning policing, legal practice and politics, with several senior assignments in Punjab Police before entering electoral politics. He joined the BJP along with two others AAP MLAs in New Delhi.

A 1998-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, Singh served in the police force for nearly 23 years before resigning as Inspector General of Police (IGP) in April 2021, with nine years of service remaining. He subsequently joined AAP and contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections from Amritsar North, winning the constituency and entering the state Assembly.

Police Career

During his police career, Singh held several senior positions, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur. He also served as Police Commissioner of Jalandhar and Ludhiana and held the posts of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Border Range and other units.

One of his prominent assignments was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing cases, which followed incidents of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib. He also served in the Punjab Police’s Special Task Force (STF).

Education and Legal Practice

Singh has an academic background in law, police administration and management. His qualifications include a PhD in Police Administration from Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, an LLB from Panjab University, Chandigarh, an MBA in Human Resource and Strategic Management from IGNOU and an MA in Sanskrit Literature from Patna University.

He has also pursued studies in Political Science and Rural Development and holds diplomas in French and German languages.

After leaving the police service, Singh entered legal practice and began practising at the Punjab and Haryana High Court and district courts in Amritsar. He was also elected an executive member of the Amritsar District Court Bar Association for 2023-24.

Political Journey

Singh entered electoral politics in 2022 after joining AAP and won from Amritsar North. During his tenure as MLA, he raised several constituency-related issues in the Punjab Assembly, besides taking up matters concerning the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases.

In June 2025, AAP suspended him from the party for five years over alleged anti-party activities following differences over his public statements on issues concerning the state government.

On November 2, 2026, Singh announced his resignation from the Punjab Legislative Assembly with effect from November 1. In his message to Amritsar residents, he thanked them for their support and said his future focus would be on clean politics and transparent administration. He described his guiding principle as ‘Punjab First’.

Awards and Recognitions

Singh has received several awards during his professional career, including the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2014 and the Baba Farid Award for Honesty and Dedication in 2004.

Other recognitions include the Director General’s Commendation Disc in 2017, Rotary Club Amritsar’s Award of Vocational Excellence in 2007 and the India Vision Foundation’s award for prison reforms in 2006.

Books Authored:

A prolific writer and legal researcher, he has authored several books addressing governance, law, and culture. His bibliography includes Cyber Laws and Investigation (2012) and Right to Information: Law & Practice (2014), followed by a spiritual and cultural exploration in Punjabi titled Sant Kabir De Anmol Vachan (2015). Turning his attention back to legal and institutional analysis, he published Indian Police: Expectations, Performance and Constraints in 2016, and later provided a comprehensive breakdown of legislative floor-crossing in his 2018 book, Anti-Defection Law.