Mohammad Izhar Alam

Mohammad Izhar Alam
Born(1948-08-04)4 August 1948
Sitamarhi, Bihar, India
Died6 July 2021(2021-07-06) (aged 72)
Malerkotla
OccupationPolice official
Years active1964–2015
Known forAlam Sena
SpouseFarzana Nesara Khatun
Children5
AwardsPadma Shri

Mohammad Izhar Alam (4 August 1948 – 6 July 2021)[1] was the director general of police of the state of Punjab.[2] According to a paper released from the US Embassy in New Delhi on 19 December 2005, during Alam's tenure as the head of the state police, he is reported to have fostered a combat force called "Fauj-e-Alam" (Alam's Army),[3] composed of around 150 dismissed police officials and reformed Sikh insurgents, to work alongside the Punjab police ranks.[4] The force is alleged to have been engaged in torture and extrajudicial killings of insurgents from 1984 to 1994.[4]

After superannuation from the police force, Alam became the chairman of the Wakf Board, the state unit of the Central Wakf Council.[5] He also entered politics and attempted to contest the 2012 assembly elections from Malerkotla constituency on Akali Dal ticket,[6] but withdrew when he faced opposition from a faction of the party.[5] Farzana Nissara Khatoon, his wife,[7] replaced him in the elections and was successful.[8] The government of India awarded Alam the fourth-highest civilian honour, Padma Shri, in 1987.[9]

  1. ^ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਸਾਬਕਾ ਡੀਜੀਪੀ ਪਦਮਸ੍ਰੀ ਇਜ਼ਹਾਰ ਆਲਮ ਦਾ ਦੇਹਾਂਤ (in Punjabi)
  2. ^ Criminal Justice India Series, Volume 8. Allied Publishers. 2002. ISBN 9788177644906.
  3. ^ "Sikh Siyasat News". Sikh Siyasat News. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Alam Sena staged encounter killings". Times of India. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Battle of begums in Malerkotla". Hindustan Times. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2015.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Mohammad Izhar Alam: a man of contradictions". Indian Express. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  7. ^ Karenjot Bhangoo Randhawa (2012). Civil Society in Malerkotla, Punjab: Fostering Resilience Through Religion. Lexington Books. p. 127. ISBN 9780739167373. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Punjab Assembly Election 2012". Empowering India. 2012.
  9. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.