The Saturday (May 24) press conference held by Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi (IPS:2012:HP) has landed him in serious trouble, with Director General of Police (DGP) Atul Verma (IPS:1991:HP) on Sunday (May 25) recommending his immediate suspension for “gross misconduct, insubordination, and dereliction of duty.”
In a strongly worded letter to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), the DGP said the SP made “unsubstantiated and inappropriate allegations” during the press conference against the Chief Secretary to the Government of Himachal Pradesh as well as a Constitutional Authority in the state.
“He also made unverified and potentially prejudicial statements regarding the National Security Guards and the Government of India, in connection with a matter that is currently under active investigation,” Verma wrote.
The DGP further noted that such actions could strain or embarrass the relationship between the Central and State Governments. A video recording of the press conference has been enclosed in a pen drive for review and official record.
The controversy stems from remarks made by SP Gandhi during his press briefing on Saturday, where he alleged that the status report filed by the DGP in the Himachal Pradesh High Court—regarding the SIT investigation into the death of Vimal Negi—was “irresponsible” and driven by “personal vendetta.”
Gandhi went further, accusing the DGP’s staff of having links to a drug peddling syndicate and interfering in the probe into the leak of confidential CID documents. He also leveled serious allegations against former DGP Sanjay Kundu, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, former Shimla DC, and current Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma.
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