Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 25 : As Himachal Pradesh High Court transferred the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) engineer Vimal Negi death case to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jairam Thakur demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while accusing the Congress government in the state of being "corrupt".
"Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is ridden with corruption. The ministers and officials are involved in corruption and they are being given protection. Vimal Negi lost his life. The government is also in trouble now. Chief Minister should resign immediately," Thakur, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Himachal Pradesh Assembly, told ANI.
He said that the Opposition has been demanding a CBI probe into the Vimal Negi death case since its inception along with the family members, contrary to the claims made by the CM about the family not demanding the same.
"Since the start, we have been demanding a CBI inquiry into this case. His family has also demanded one, even though the Chief Minister earlier said that his family had not demanded it. Now, the CBI inquiry is happening because his family went to High Court, and the court ordered in their favour," Thakur said.
"Why is the (state) government raising objections over the transfer of the investigation to CBI? They should be cooperating immediately," he added.
In a significant development that has stirred the Himachal Pradesh Police establishment, Shimla Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi--who was heading the initial Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the suspicious death of HPPCL Chief Engineer Vimal Negi--on Saturday levelled serious allegations against Director General of Police (DGP) Atul Verma, accusing him of interference in the investigation, abuse of authority, and obstruction of justice.
Speaking to the media, SP Gandhi alleged that the DGP's office not only attempted to derail the investigation but also sought to manipulate judicial proceedings through false affidavits.
"I was harassed for taking action," said Gandhi, claiming that he and his team were repeatedly pressured whenever they attempted to act against wrongdoing."
The DGP's office is directly under scrutiny in several FIRs registered by the Shimla Police. The moment we tried to move against powerful elements, the efforts to suppress the investigation intensified," SP Gandhi said.
On Friday, the Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Vimal Negi, following a petition filed by his wife.
The court's decision came after growing concerns over the integrity of the state police investigation and allegations of foul play.