Haryana BJP minister, woman IPS officer at loggerheads

A senior cabinet minister in BJP ruled Haryana and a woman IPS officer, known for her no-nonsense attitude, appear headed for a showdown with the former now seeking action against the senior cop.

The Haryana cadre woman IPS officer, Sangeeta Kalia, currently posted as the district police chief of Panipat district, has been persistently ‘missing’ meetings that are chaired by Haryana health minister Anil Vij. This has offended the minister who says the presence of the district police head was necessary to address issues concerning the public.

The genesis of the problem dates back to two-and-half year ago when an ugly faceoff between the minister and the IPS officer during a meeting in Fatehabad in full public glare led to heated tempers from both sides. The flashpoint came when the minister asked the woman IPS officer to ‘get out’. The video of the unsavoury episode when viral.

But it was in April this year that Kalia got posted as the police chief of Panipat, a district which minister Vij heads as the grievance committee chairman. Since April, the IPS officer has missed all meetings chaired by the minister. While the officer may perhaps be citing certain unavoidable engagements to counter the charge of ‘perpetual absence’ from the ministers meeting, the motor-mouth minister is disappointed, to say the least.

Kalia had earned applause from various sections of the civil society for the courage she showed in the face of a shouting minister.