SP Shimla held press conference with CM's consent: BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur

Shimla: The leader of opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Jai Ram Thakur, on Sunday alleged that the May 24 press conference by Superintendent of Police of Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi in which he targeted senior IAS and IPS officers was done at the behest of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Gandhi held the presser after the High Court transferred the probe into the death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) chief engineer Vimal Negi to the CBI.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Thakur said that it was clear from the very first day that the government was avoiding a CBI probe into the case.

Even after the High Court orders, the government seemed to be reluctant to cooperate with the CBI and the SP, Shimla allegedly wrote to the CBI director that he was going to appeal against the High Court and as such the records can't be handed over to CBI, the BJP leader claimed.

He said that Chief Minister Shuku clearly told reporters that the government would not go for an appeal against the High Court order. In spite of this SP, Shimla was hindering the probe and the chief minister was not taking any action against him.

"It was the first time that the SP, who does nothing without the knowledge of the chief minister, made serious allegations against top officials and politicians," he said and asked the chief minister to resign on moral grounds if he has "no hold over his officers".

The chief minister, however, said that a CBI probe has already started in the Vimal Negi case and Thakur and other BJP leaders should give evidence, if any, to the agency.

Alleging that efforts were made to destroy evidence and a pen drive recovered from the body of Negi was tampered with, Thakur said that the chief minister had said that the Additional Chief Secretary-Home (ACS) would give the report within fifteen days and necessary action would be taken.

But even after the lapse of over one month, no tangible action was taken and the wife of Vimal Negi had to move the High Court seeking the CBI probe, he said.

Asking the chief minister to cooperate with CBI and avoid further embarrassment to the government, Thakur said that the manner in which the government was acting raises suspicion that it was afraid that its actions could be exposed.

Meanwhile, the chief minister alleged that the BJP was not interested in justice for Negi's family and was playing politics. Sukhu said that he has made clear that the government would not go into appeal against the High Court and cooperate with the CBI.

He said that a CBI probe has already been started and Jai Ram Thakur and other BJP leaders should give the evidence or papers, if any, to the CBI.

"We are saddened by the death of Vimal Negi. Our sympathies are with the family and we will fully cooperate with the CBI in getting justice to the family", he added.

ACS Onkar Sharma, SP Gandhi and DGP Atul Verma were asked to proceed on leave on Tuesday, days after the SP's press conference where be levelled serious allegations against the police chief in connection with the Vimal Negi death case, according to officials.

Verma, a 1991-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, retired on Saturday.

Sukhu had expressed his displeasure over the tussle between Verma and Gandhi and also with the additional chief secretary for bypassing the advocate general's office while submitting his fact-finding report.

Gandhi, who headed the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the state government to probe Negi's death, had accused Verma of filing a misleading status report questioning the SIT probe.

Negi had gone missing on March 10 and his body was found on March 18 in Bilapsur district under mysterious circumstances.

His family members protested by placing the engineer's body outside the HPPCL office in Shimla on March 19, alleging he was harassed by his seniors and demanding a CBI probe. Following this, a case of abetment to suicide was registered and the ACS was asked to conduct an inquiry.

The ACS, in his report submitted to the high court, had alleged irregularities in the HPPCL.