Haryana minister Vij gets into altercation with cop, issues stern directions to Kaithal police

Chandigarh, Nov 14 (PTI) A District Grievance Redressal Committee meeting in Haryana's Kaithal on Friday witnessed Anil Vij getting into an altercation with a police official for allegedly ignoring the directives of the state minister.

For several minutes, there was a forceful exchange of words between Vij, who was chairing the meeting, and the police official.

The transport, energy and labour minister alleged that the police official had ignored his earlier directive to register a Zero FIR in a fraud case.

Zero FIR can be registered by any police station, irrespective of jurisdiction, when it receives a complaint.

Kaithal's Superintendent of Police, Upasna, who was present in the meeting, tried to intervene in the matter, providing the police version.

At the meeting, Vij kept pointing at a police official, repeatedly asking him why his directions had not been paid heed to. The minister also got angry at the Superintendent of Police over the issue.

A video of the meeting showed the minister telling the Kaithal SP that police were not doing their job properly.

Vij directed the police to register a Zero FIR in Kaithal and ensure strict compliance with the committee's directives. "These are my orders; how can my orders be defied?" Vij told the SP.

He claimed the matter came up before the Grievance Redressal Committee, as the police had not acted in the matter.

The other police official present in the room, at whom Vij got angry for not paying heed to his directive, tried to assert that the procedure was being followed in the complaint.

The police official told Vij that the complainant told them that he wants to pursue his complaint in Chandigarh and that he had expressed this intention before the Kaithal police.

"Did the complainant give this to you in writing? Show me," Vij told the police official, after which the minister spoke to the complainant over the phone.

After speaking to the complainant, Vij told the police official that the complainant wants Kaithal police to register the case and has alleged that the police were not acting on his complaint, and much time has lapsed.

Following this, the police official is seen in the video telling Vij, "Sir, you are not doing justice". To this, the minister asserted, "I am doing justice." But the police official told him, "You are spoiling my career. I am not responsible for this (not registering a complaint as being alleged)".

"I respect you. You ask anyone about me. There is no fault of mine in the entire matter," the police official argued in his defence. "If this state's most powerful minister gave any direction, anyone would straightaway pay heed to the orders." However, Vij pointed out, "But you have not registered the case. I told you to register the case. Register the FIR before this meeting gets over; otherwise, I will suspend you." During the meeting, Vij issued strong directions in many other cases.

In another matter of a young woman who complained of harassment and alleged that police ignored her plea despite providing evidence, Vij ordered officials to register an FIR against the police personnel concerned.

Additionally, in four separate cases, fact-finding committees were constituted, with instructions to submit their reports at the next meeting.

After the Committee meeting, Vij personally heard complaints brought by citizens and directed the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to take necessary action. PTI SUN NSD NSD