Kullu clash: DIG submits report; DGP issues advisory asking officials to always remain calm

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Central Range, Madhusudan has submitted a preliminary fact-finding report with respect to an ugly spat between senior police officers in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district during Union Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari's visit on June 23, a statement issued by the state DGP office said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu has issued an advisory to IPS and HPS officials to “always remain calm and poised” while interacting with other fellow officers and the general public and to ensure high standards of professionalism and graceful conduct.

The DGP office said a preliminary inquiry report regarding the Kullu clash was received on Saturday and the same is being examined in the police headquarters (PHQ).

After studying the preliminary fact-finding report, the yellow book (government of India guidelines on security protocol to highly vulnerable persons) and other evidence on record, the PHQ will send a report in the matter to the state government, it added.

Kullu district police personnel and men from the Himachal Pradesh chief minister's security staff came to blows near the Bhuntar airport on Wednesday, in a scuffle involving an SP and an ASP.

In videos that surfaced on social media, Kullu SP Gaurav Singh is seen slapping Additional SP Brijesh Sood, who is Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur's security in-charge.

At this, CM’s Personal Security Officer (PSO) Balwant Singh kicked the SP.

In a statement, the police headquarters in Shimla had said the incident took place during the visit of CM Thakur and Union minister Nitin Gadkari to Kullu.

According to reports, the brief clash took place after some locals gathered there raised slogans favouring Gadkari as prime minister.

On Saturday, the DGP in a two-page advisory to IPS and HPS officers said, “There is no gainsaying that the image of the HP Police has taken a beating after the recent incident of an ugly spat between senior police officers in front of dignitaries at Kullu.”

“It is also obvious that it has undone the cumulative good work by the HP Police during the last one year,” it added.

Not only has the incident become viral on social media, it has also elicited a negative and highly uncharitable public response, the advisory said.

All efforts in ensuring better service delivery to the public, all the unprecedented drug seizures and all the effort put into fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by the Himachal Pradesh Police have been overshadowed by this visibly public sparring of officials, it added.

The advisory further stated, “Such conduct is totally unwarranted and undesirable. It is unprofessional to the point of dereliction of duty and also raises issues of compromises in the VVIP security.”

Therefore, regardless of the outcome of the present inquiry, it is important that we examine all the relevant issues to avoid such incidents in the future, it added.

The DGP advised all police officers “to always remain calm and poised, no matter what the provocation is”, while interacting with other fellow officers and the general public.

He said their demeanour during the course of their duties must always be courteous and polite but firm.

The advisory further stated, “One has to think on one's feet and be innovative. The general idea is to solve a problem and not to aggravate it.”

“In a nutshell. I would like to say that such stray incidents not only tarnish the image of HP Police and open us up for ridicule but also completely obliterate the good work done and the goodwill accumulated with years of painstaking efforts,” the DGP said.

“Therefore, we need to strive as a cohesive team to reestablish our image and also to ensure that such incidents never happen in the future,” he added.

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