Mohammad Izhar Alam (4 August 1948 – 6 July 2021) was an Indian police officer who served as the Director General of Police (DGP) of the state of Punjab, India. He was a 1974-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and retired in 2009.
Career and Controversies
Alam served as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in various jurisdictions of Punjab during the period of Sikh militancy in the 1980s and 1990s. According to a paper released by the US Embassy in New Delhi on 19 December 2005, during his tenure as head of the state police, Alam is reported to have fostered a combat force called "Fauj-e-Alam" (Alam's Army), composed of approximately 150 dismissed police officials and reformed Sikh insurgents. This force, also referred to as the "Alam Sena," is alleged to have been involved in torture and extrajudicial killings of insurgents between 1984 and 1994. Human rights organizations, including Ensaaf, have documented cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions reportedly committed under his command.
Post-Retirement Activities
After retiring from the police force, Alam became the Chairman of the Punjab Waqf Board, the state unit of the Central Wakf Council. He also entered politics and attempted to contest the 2012 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections from the Malerkotla constituency on an Akali Dal ticket, but withdrew after facing opposition from a faction of the party. His wife, Farzana Nissara Khatoon, replaced him as the candidate and won the seat.
Awards
The Government of India awarded Alam the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honor in India, in 1987.
Personal Life and Death
Alam was born on 4 August 1948 in Sitamarhi, Bihar, India. He was married to Farzana Nesara Khatun and had five children. He died on 6 July 2021 at the age of 72 following a cardiac arrest at his residence in Chandigarh, and was taken to Fortis Hospital in Mohali.
