In a striking display of administrative friction, a grievance redressal meeting in Kaithal on Friday witnessed a heated exchange between Haryana Minister Anil Vij and a senior police officer over the suspension of a sub-inspector accused of fraud.
The Grievance Redressal Committee met to resolve community issues. Among the people who brought up an issue before the minister was Sandeep Malik, a resident of Titram village. He accused a sub-inspector, also named Sandeep, of fraud in a land purchase case.
Upon hearing the accusation, Vij, who holds the Energy, Transport and Labour portfolios in the state of Haryana immediately called for the suspension of the sub-inspector and directed the Kaithal Superintendent of Police (SP), Upasana to execute his orders.
Unknown to Vij, his latest order did account for a significant legal hurdle: the sub-inspector was posted in Kurukshetra, not Kaithal. Which placed the jurisdiction of taking any action against the accused in the hands of the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Kurukshetra or Director General of Police for the state.
When the senior police officer pointed that out to Vij, the minister got agitated and aggressively demanded for her to execute his orders and to write to the DGP, saying Vij has demanded for the suspension.
Minister vs IPS: A verbal shakedown
“I am saying it. Suspend him,” an animated Vij is seen telling the SP in a video. The police officer tries to interject and say that this will have to be done by the SP of Kurukshetra.
“You write to the DGP (Director General of Police, the state’s top cop). I am saying suspend him, you just have to execute my orders,” the minister was heard saying in the meeting.
Kaithal Superintendent of Police (SP) Upasana pointed out she did not have the power to do so because the sub-inspector was from Kurukshetra – which is a different district, under another SP – and this led to an argument with the minister.
However her explanation seemed to only anger the aggravated minister further. “Then get out of here if you have no power,” Vij shouted at the inspector whilst pointing his finger at her. “You have to write that Anil Vij has ordered this suspension,” the minister said.
“I will write it, sir. I can write it, but I cannot suspend him myself,” the SP responds.
Hecklers and supporters join in
At this point the room gets filled with sounds of applause for the minister as people present in the hall begin to loudly praise the minister’s assertiveness, with some apparent supporters shouting at the IPS officer telling her that no one has more power than the minister.
As soon as the IPS officer started responding to the hecklers, another panelist present in the committee jumped in and told the minister that the officer is saying she will write the letter.
“Yes, I have said it. You have to obey my orders, not give your own orders. I am saying write to the DGP that I have given these orders to suspend him. I will see who doesn’t do it,” Vij thundered at the end. Upasana then said that she will get someone to write to the DGP asking for a suspension.
Vij’s final statement was received with another small batch of applause from people present at the grievance redressal meeting.
Post meet remarks
Asked about the exchange after the hearing, the minister said, “We are here to work for the public, all of us are here for that. Our objective is to ensure that people get justice.”
When asked how the SP would suspend the policeman when she did not have the power to do so, he clarified, “I was not asking her to suspend him. I was asking her to write to the person who has the power and tell them these are my instructions.”
(With inputs from agencies)