Uproar in Haryana Assembly over transfer of woman IPS officer

CHANDIGARH:Pandemonium prevailed in the Haryana Assembly today as Congress slammed State Minister Anil Vij over the transfer of a woman IPS officer who was involved in a verbal spat with him and demanded his resignation even as he asserted that a case could be registered against her.

Haryana Chief Minsiter Manohar Lal Khattar (centre) talking with Congress MLA Kiran Chaudhary. INLD leader Abhey Chautala also in picture at Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Chandigarh, November 30

Pandemonium prevailed in the Haryana Assembly today as Congress slammed State Minister Anil Vij over the transfer of a woman IPS officer who was involved in a verbal spat with him and demanded his resignation even as he asserted that a case could be registered against her.

Heated exchanges took place among ruling BJP and Congress MLAs on the first day of the Winter Session of the Assembly over the issue while Chief Minster Manohar Lal Khattar came to the rescue of his minister and appealed to opposition parties to avoid making it a Dalit versus others issue.

"The issue should not be linked with gender. The transfer of IPS officer Sangeeta Rani Kalia, who was SP of Fatehabad district, as Commandant 4th IRB at Manesar should not be seen as any kind of punishment," Khattar said.

During the Zero Hour, Geeta Bhukkal, a Congress Dalit MLA, said the Minister had spoken "inappropriately" to the Dalit woman officer and demanded that he should either apologise for his behaviour or resign.

She said a case is made against the Minister under the SC/ST (Prevention of atrocities) Act following which Vij got up from his seat to give clarification.

The State Health Minister told the House he had a video clip to back his claims that the SP had allegedly threatened the NGO, which had brought to his notice the issue of illicit liquor trade in the area.

"A case can be registered against the SP for threatening the complainant NGO," the Minister said.

He said, "It is dangerous if you know half truth. Some people are trying to politicise the issue and give it a different colour."

Kalia was on Saturday shunted out, a day after a spat with Vij, becoming the second woman IPS officer to be unceremoniously shifted in two months. The move triggered angry reactions against him from the opposition and on social media.

Vij had on Thursday stormed out of a meeting of the District Grievances and Public Relations Committee at Fatehabad after the police officer refused to follow his order to leave the venue following heated exchanges between them. — PTI