The Punjab government has replaced Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini with Suresh Arora, as a reaction to the protests and violence that have seized the state for weeks since several instances of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book. Arora was appointed DGP before the last Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

The Indian Express reported that Saini was considered close to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had demanded the imposition of President’s rule in the state in the wake of the unrest.