Shimla, May 28,
The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly demanded a thorough investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the suspicious death of Chief Engineer Vimal Negi of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPC). The party has also called for strict action against officials involved in tampering with evidence and for a CBI probe into allegations made by the Shimla Superintendent of Police (SP) against senior officers. Furthermore, the BJP urged that the CBI investigation’s scope be expanded to include rampant corruption within the HPPCL, or alternatively, for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to take up the probe. The party has also demanded the immediate removal of the Shimla SP to restore discipline and accountability within the police force.
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These demands were outlined in a memorandum submitted to the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, following a recent directive from the High Court ordering a CBI investigation into Negi’s death. The BJP expressed serious concerns about the state government’s unwillingness to cooperate with the probe, highlighting the government’s silence after the court’s decision and controversial public statements by the Advocate General and the SIT Chief Superintendent of Police that appeared to undermine the investigation. The BJP also condemned the SIT head for making unfounded accusations against senior officials and BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma, calling it an example of gross indiscipline and misuse of authority.
On May 26, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu publicly challenged the High Court’s remarks regarding the exclusion of Himachal cadre officers from the investigation team, which the BJP described as contempt of the judiciary and an arrogant disregard for the rule of law. The party suspects that the government might attempt to sabotage the inquiry by destroying evidence, citing previous incidents like the disappearance of crucial data drives, corruption in solar power projects, and sidelining of honest officers as proof of administrative decay.
Signed by former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, BJP State president leader Rajeev Bindal alongwith others, the memorandum states that a government riddled with corruption and administrative failure has no moral legitimacy to remain in power. The BJP’s demands reflect growing public frustration over law and order deterioration and widespread corruption within the Himachal Pradesh administration.
