Shimla: Himachal Pradesh’s top bureaucrat, police chief, and Shimla police chief were sent on leave on Tuesday after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR into the death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) engineer Vimal Negi. The development followed a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu with senior officials in the evening.
Those sent on leave include Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Onkar Sharma, Director General of Police Atul Verma, and Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi. Sources said that show cause notices are also likely to be issued to them.
The case took a dramatic turn after SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi recently held a press conference, alleging that DGP Verma had submitted a misleading status report in the Vimal Negi death case.
Gandhi also raised concerns over irregularities in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and claimed attempts were made to obstruct investigations in multiple related cases.
In response, DGP Verma reportedly wrote to ACS (Home), recommending Gandhi’s suspension. The matter further escalated after Verma submitted his fact-finding report directly to the ACS (Home), bypassing the Advocate General’s office, which drew criticism from the Chief Minister.
Earlier, CM Sukhu had said that indiscipline by officials would not be tolerated. The growing rift between the top police officers and the controversies surrounding the investigation prompted the state government to act swiftly after the CBI stepped in.
