Oppn turns the heat on Himachal DGP Kundu
SHIMLA: Even as the Himachal government has announced to hand over the police recruitment paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Opposition parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have turned up the heat on Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and director general of police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu.
A CPIM delegation led by Theog legislator Rakesh Singha on Friday submitted a memorandum to Himachal governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, demanding a judicial probe into the case by a sitting judge under the supervision of the high court and removal of DGP Kundu from his post.
“The CPIM doesn’t trust CBI anymore after the bitter experience of the central agency botching up the investigation in the Kotkhai rape and murder case,” said the memorandum.
“The paper leak and cancellation of this recruitment have not only tarnished the image of Himachal Pradesh, but also hurt sentiments of its people,” Singha said.
“The enormity of this matter and the huge transaction of money has also put a question mark on the transparency of the recruitment process,” he added.
The most worrying aspect, he said, is that the case has raised fingers on the functioning of the police department and the government.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, there is a need for an independent and fair investigation so that the truth can be brought before the public and the guilty should be punished as per law, the CPIM leader added.
Along with this, he said, there is a need to take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents in future and maintain transparency and fairness in all types of the recruitment processes in the state.
“Therefore, the party urges immediate intervention of the governor and demands that the police recruitment paper leak case should be investigated by the presiding judge under the supervision of the high court,” Singha said.
He said all the recruitments should be done through the state public service commission and the subordinate selection board.
“Director general of police, the head of the police department, should be immediately removed from his post for an independent and fair investigation of the matter,” he added.
Pratibha joins protesters
Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh also slammed the government for its alleged failure and met the Youth Congress workers who are on an indefinite hunger strike at the district headquarters over the issue.
Pratibha, who also joined the protesters, raised the doubts on the credibility of CBI.
She said since there is a BJP government at the Centre, the Congress doesn’t expect a fair probe. “There should be a speedy investigation in the case and real culprits of the paper leak should be exposed and brought to justice,” she added.
Pratibha said she was with the Youth Congress workers in this fight.
The AAP, meanwhile, said that handing over the case to CBI was just an eyewash and the intent behind it was to save the real culprits.
In a statement issued here, AAP state spokesperson Gaurav Sharma said that the SIT of Himachal Pradesh Police has only arrested the candidates so far, while the real culprits were still at large.
He alleged that the government was trying to cover up the matter and save the big fish who were involved in the paper leak.
Amid all this, the state police chief proceeding on leave raises more questions and doubts about his involvement in the case, he added.
“The government should immediately remove DGP Kundu for the sake of a fair and transparent probe,” he demanded.
Sharma claimed to have information that the paper was sold to more than 2,000 people for ₹5 to ₹8 lakh per person, thus making it a scam worth more than ₹500 crore.