BJP leaders meet family of HPPCL engineer, press for CBI probe

Shimla: Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur along with other BJP leaders on Saturday met the grieving family members of chief engineer of HPPCL Vimal Negi and said a CBI probe would put a full stop to all the questions surrounding his death.

Negi's family members, who have alleged foul play, have demanded an impartial inquiry into his death, Thakur said.

The official went missing on March 10 and his body was found in Bilaspur on Tuesday. The relatives of the deceased sat on a dharna outside the office of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) in Shimla with the body on Wednesday.

Negi's wife had alleged that it was "not a suicide but murder" and alleged that her husband was pressured, denied holidays and harassed by seniors even though he was unwell.

Thakur, who along with state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal and other BJP leaders met Negi's family in their native village in Kinnaur district on Saturday, said that the family maintained that "the loss is done but the enquiry should be impartial and CBI probe would put a full stop to all the questions" The family members alleged that three people, including the Managing Director, Harikesh Meena, and Director (electrical) Desh Raj, pressured Negi to "do wrong" due to which Negi was under acute tension and compelled to take this extreme step.

Meena has been transferred and Desh Raj placed under suspension. The police registered a case under sections 108 (abetment to suicide) and 3 (5) joint criminal liability of BNS on Wednesday.

Thakur said that family members of the deceased engineer and employees of HPPCL want a fair investigation into the case and added that there are questions on the functioning of HPPCL as "one person superseded five others to become director".

"We have raised the issue in the Assembly many times ever since the honest engineer went missing and even after recovery of the body.

"An engineer has died and the BJP demanded a CBI inquiry into the case but Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that 'BJP ko baat ka bathanger banane ki aadat hai' (BJP is in a habit of making a mountain out of a molehill) which is unfortunate".

"The CM should tell the reason behind not handing over the probe to the CBI when the family members of the deceased, HPPCL employees and people in general want a CBI inquiry into the case", he said.

"I am hopeful that the CM would give the case to the CBI and if not, there are other legal provisions also," he said and asserted that any attempt to "hush up" the case would raise questions about the government.