The appointment of a proclaimed offender (PO), Jatinder Singh, as block samiti chairman of Sri Hargobindpur by AAP MLA Amarpal Singh Kishankot has raised a political storm even as the Batala police are trying to nab him.The development comes as an embarrassment for the police as the appointment was made publicly. For the past two days, this issue was being highlighted by senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia.“The Batala police could not get him despite pooling all its resources but AAP legislator Amarpal Singh Kishankot knew his whereabouts. The intelligence wing of the police has come a cropper,” said Majithia. Jatinder is wanted in a case related to liquor smuggling, which was registered at the Rangar Nangal police station in Batala.A Gurdaspur court had declared him as a PO after the police said they could not trace him. “Under Section 82 of the BNSS, a court formally declared him a PO after he failed to appear. His property, agricultural land, was attached in this case,” said a lawyer. MLA Amarpal could not be reached for comments.Police officers have maintained silence on this development, which has been raked up by the Opposition.The MLA has also uploaded pictures of Jatinder’s appointment on his social media pages.