Chief Engineer’s death: After CBI takes over case, Himachal DGP, Additional CS, SP sent on leave

Shimla, May 28 In a major face-saving exercise amid bureaucratic tussle with Opposition BJP alleging a cover-up exercise in the death of a Chief Engineer, the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has sent top functionaries -- Director General of Police (DGP) Atul Verma and Additional Chief Secretary (CS) (Home) Onkar Sharma, and Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi on leave for “indiscipline”.

This comes in the wake of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registering a first information report (FIR) on the direction of the High Court in the death of a Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) Chief Engineer, whose family alleged harassment and abetment to suicide by seniors.

Negi’s body was recovered from the Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur district on March 18 after he went missing on March 10.

DGP Verma, the 1991-batch IPS officer, due to retire on May 31, has been replaced by Ashok Tiwari, the 1993-batch IPS officer currently posted as DGP (Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau). He has been given the additional charge of the DGP.

DGP Verma and Additional Chief Secretary Sharma have been accused of filing status reports before the High Court relating to the Chief Engineer’s death case without getting them vetted through the Advocate General, while Superintendent of Police Gandhi had accused DGP’s staff of having links with a drug-peddling syndicate. However, the DGP had already recommended Gandhi’s suspension. The latter was heading the Special Investigating Team (SIT) formed by the government.

Additional Chief Secretary Sharma has been divested of all portfolios, including Home and Revenue. His contemporary Kamlesh Pant has been given the portfolios of Home and Vigilance.

Likewise, Solan Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh has been given the additional charge of the Superintendent of Police of Shimla.

A day before sending the top functionaries involved in the case on leave, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu accused the BJP of politicising the case and said the government would not appeal against the High Court’s order.

CM Sukhu told the media that Negi’s family had never approached him for a CBI inquiry. “The state government will fully cooperate with the CBI and provide it every possible help to ensure that the aggrieved family gets justice,” he clarified.

The High Court on May 23 transferred the investigation from the state police to the CBI. Pronouncing the order, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel directed the CBI to take over the probe from the police’s special investigation team (SIT) and directed that no state-cadre officer should be attached with the CBI team for a fair investigation.

The victim’s wife, Kiran Negi, had moved the high court to demand a CBI probe. However, the government had constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) after registering a case of abetment to suicide against top HPPCL functionaries, comprising HPPCL Managing Director Harikesh Meena, Director (Personnel) Shivam Pratap and Director (Electrical) Desh Raj.

Petitioner’s counsel R.K. Bawa had said: “Kiran Negi was not satisfied with the SIT’s probe from day one. The government failed to act on the report of Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Onkar Chand Sharma, in which he indicted officers accused by the family of misbehaviour. The government withheld his report.”

“The SIT was biased and only looked into the medical history of the victim,” he had told the media.

Additional Chief Secretary Sharma had submitted a 66-page fact-finding inquiry report to the government on April 8. He declined to review the report on the request of the Secretary, Power, to include the rebuttal of the three officers, who faced allegations.

The conflicting affidavits submitted by DGP Verma and the Shimla Superintendent of Police had also put a question mark on a fair inquiry by the SIT.

BJP spokesperson and legislator Trilok Jamwal told the media in Shimla that it was unfortunate that the government tried to deprive justice to the family by forming three investigation teams.

The DGP had said no one was cooperating in the investigation, while the Superintendent of Police said the investigation was conducted in a fair manner. The Advocate General was opposed to handing over the case to the CBI, and the Additional Chief Secretary’s stand was in the other direction, Jamwal added.

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