A heated exchange took place at a district grievance redressal committee meeting in Kaithal on Friday, where Haryana minister Anil Vij and Superintendent of Police (SP) Upsana disagreed over the suspension of a police officer linked to a land complaint.
Vij, who holds the energy, transport and labor portfolios, was presiding over the meeting when he directed that an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) be suspended in connection with a land-related matter that is currently under investigation. (Screengrab/ANI)Vij, who holds the energy, transport and labor portfolios, was presiding over the meeting when he directed that an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) be suspended in connection with a land-related matter that is currently under investigation.
The order was issued following a complaint by a resident of Kaithal against the officer.
Responding to the minister, SP Upsana, an IPS officer, said he had no jurisdiction to fire the ASI as the officer belonged to a neighboring district.
He clarified that any suspension order would have to be issued by the Kurukshetra SP or Haryana’s Director General of Police (DGP).
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‘My orders are running all over Haryana’: Viz policeDespite the clarification, Vij reiterated his instructions.
“I am ordering his suspension,” the minister was heard saying. Upsana held her ground.
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As the exchange grew tense, Vij asked the SP to write to the DGP conveying his instructions.
“You just have to carry out my orders,” he said. In a video of the meeting, Viz was also heard commenting, “My order is running all over Haryana. (My order applies across Haryana), applause from some present.
The minister also argued that the ASI should be suspended until action is taken, saying the officer could potentially influence the investigation.
Upsana replied that suspension can only be administered by the competent authority.
“In every case, you do this. I direct you that he should be sacked. You write to the DGP… I tell you, you just have to carry out my order,” Vij said.
Sensing the escalation of the situation, Kaithal Deputy Commissioner Aparajita intervened, noting that the SP had agreed to write to the DGP.
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Vij, however, insisted on sending the communication and insisted that he would ensure compliance with the order.
Similar instances in the pastThis is not the first incident of tussle between Vij and senior police officials. About three months ago, a similar grievance redressal meeting in Kaithal saw a tense exchange when the minister alleged that a police officer ignored his instructions to register zero FIR in a fraud case.
In the videos of that earlier meeting, Vij was seen expressing his displeasure with the police’s performance, with SP trying to present the version of the worship department.
More than a decade ago, Vij was involved in a public spat with a woman IPS officer during another grievance meeting, marking a pattern of clashes between ministers and police officers in government forums.
