In a horrible turn of events that reveals the dangerous underside of power abuse, , a sex scandal involving a senior Punjab IPS officer has exposed not only the rot within a section of the police force but also the disturbing attempts to suppress journalism. The New Indian, an independent media house, is presently being threatened with arrest and intimidation simply for doing its job of exposing wrongdoings and being an accountable force to the powerful.
The controversy erupted after the leak of two audio clips, purportedly featuring an IPS officer of the Punjab Police engaged in sexually explicit negotiations. In the first clip, the officer is heard bargaining over the price of a paid sexual act with two women, offering ₹20,000 for one and ₹10,000 for another, eventually haggling for a “threesome” for ₹50,000. The exchange, laced with vulgarity and power play, has gone viral among bureaucratic circles and reached the desks of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, DGP Gaurav Yadav, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, and Delhi leaders.
The second audio clip allegedly involves the same IPS officer speaking to a female constable, where he shamelessly asks her to share explicit photos in a WhatsApp group. The woman, in uniform and having just returned from a crime scene near Hoshiarpur, expresses fatigue, only to be demeaned by the officer’s lewd request. Both clips are under scrutiny and have reportedly been sent to multiple government bodies including the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), and the Punjab Women’s Commission.
This scandal has wider ramifications beyond misconduct. A 7-page complaint submitted by a concerned citizen alleges the officer’s direct involvement in organized sex trade, abuse of position, and financial corruption. Shockingly, the complaint also suggests the same IPS officer was previously honey-trapped by a Pakistani woman—raising national security concerns.
Adding fuel to the fire is the ongoing drug scandal involving a woman constable, Amandeep Kaur, caught with ₹2 crore worth of heroin. She and her associate have reportedly threatened to name the same IPS officer as having direct involvement. Digital evidence including texts and voice recordings have already been submitted to Punjab DGP’s office.
The allegations point to a systemic decay in Punjab’s law enforcement, where officers tasked with protecting citizens are instead engaging in abuse, criminality, and betrayal of public trust. Instead of launching an immediate investigation into the officer, the Punjab Police reportedly turned its attention to the messenger. Editor-in-Chief Aarti Tikoo Singh and Executive Editor Rohan Dua, who run The New Indian, were allegedly informed of plans to arrest or frame them in retaliation for their reporting.
This is not just vendetta. It is a direct assault on press freedom, designed to intimidate a small, independent newsroom that dared to take on the mighty. Aarti Tikoo, a displaced Kashmiri Pandit and seasoned journalist, has already survived state persecution and professional suppression. Yet she and her colleague Rohan Dua have refused to back down even when the accused officer and his political allies reportedly tried to pressure them to delete the story.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which once promised clean governance, now finds itself at the center of a moral collapse. The by-election in Ludhiana West critical for AAP’s political future appears to be shaping how they respond. So far, there has been no visible disciplinary action against the accused officer. Instead, we witness political maneuvering, hush-hush transfers, and a calculated focus on saving face.
This is not the first time such tactics have been used. Similar incidents in Noida and past regimes show a pattern: silence the victim, ignore the evidence, and shoot the messenger. The New Indian has exercised restraint, integrity, and courage. They didn’t name the accused officer. They ensured no woman’s identity was compromised. They reached out to all concerned government agencies, allowing them to take action first. Their reward? Threats of arrest, professional coercion, and online attacks. Let this be clear: if exposing sex trafficking, corruption, and abuse of power makes journalists criminals in the eyes of the state, then we have entered dangerous authoritarian territory.
