Chandigarh SSP’s repatriation: CM Bhagwant Mann was not apprised of issue by his officers, says Punjab Governor

Ruchika M Khanna

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Chandigarh, December 14

Governor Banwarilal Purohit has hit back at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for writing him a letter regarding the repatriation of UT Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Chahal, stating that the CM was not apprised of the issue by his top officers.

The Governor has said he himself told the Chief Secretary, Punjab, of the proposed repatriation of Chahal on November 28, almost a fortnight before the officer was given his marching orders. In a second salvo fired at Mann, the Governor has also raised the issue of rape of a woman by now arrested AIG Ashish Kapoor and asked Mann to urgently look into the matter.

Kuldeep Chahal was repatriated by the UT administration on Monday evening. Mann had written a letter to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the UT Administrator-cum-Governor, saying the appointment of a Haryana-cadre IPS officer on the post was violative of the laid precedence, wherein the post of the SSP is given to a Punjab-cadre officer.

In a reply to the CM’s letter, the Governor has said, “The contents of the letter demonstrate that due care has not been taken to ascertain the facts while writing the said letter and dispatching it. Had that care been taken, then such a letter could not have been written in the first place.” He said Chahal had been repatriated following inputs of his serious misconduct, which have been authenticated from “reliable sources”.

He has specified the date and time when he had telephonically communicated with the CS about his decision to remove the SSP, and advised the CS to send “a panel of efficient IPS officers”. He has said that even Chandigarh DGP Praveer Rajan had apprised the Punjab CS of the case on November 30. The same day the Advisor to UT Administrator had also spoken to the CS and the latter had called on the Governor and was again told of the repatriation. The CM, in his letter to the Governor yesterday, had said that the state was not asked to send a panel of officers for consideration for the post of SSP. Chief Spokesperson of AAP Malwinder Singh Kang said that no written communication from the Governor or the Chandigarh Administration was received by the state government.

“Since during this period, you (CM) were busy campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly poll, it was not possible for me to contact you. You also raised unnecessary issue of Punjab vs Haryana in this connection which is not applicable in this case of ad hoc appointment, for a very short period, i.e. for a week or two. I wish you should have considered these aspects before writing a letter to me,” he said.

‘Look into case of custodial rape by AIG’

In another letter to Mann, the Governor has asked him to personally look into the case of custodial rape and extortion of a woman by AIG Ashish Kapoor, who is now under arrest. “The issue is very serious and needs to be looked into by you, personally so that the truth comes to light, justice be done and guilty be punished…,” he has written. The letter seems to be an attempt to tell the CM to focus on the developments in his state.

Names of 3 officers recommended

The Punjab Government on Wednesday night sent a panel of three IPS officers for consideration for the post of Chandigarh SSP. The names that have been sent are Bhagirath Singh Meena, Dr Akhil Chaudhary and Dr Sandeep Kumar Garg.