Kasauli killings: Five cops transferred for negligence

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 23

The Director General of Police on Wednesday transferred five policemen, including two quick reaction team members, who were part of the 14-member police squad deployed at Narayani Guest House in Kasauli when the shooting incident took place on May 1, to the 6th IR Battalion, Kolar.

The action follows an inquiry report, submitted by the Divisional Commissioner, which indicted them for negligence as a woman Town and Country Planning Officer Shail Bala and a PWD labourer Gulab Singh were killed in the shooting incident.

While two SHOs of Kasauli and Dharampur had been shifted to the Police Lines at Solan soon after the incident, they were further transferred to the 6th IR Battalion, Kolar. According to the orders, Inspector Madan Singh and Sub-Inspectors Daleep Singh and Kuldeep Singh have been transferred.

The government had transferred SP, Solan, Mohit Chawla and DSP, Parwanoo, Ramesh Sharma to the headquarters in Shimla for failing to ensure smooth compliance of the April 17 apex court orders. The court had directed the government to demolish unauthorised structures of 13 hotels in the Kasauli Planning Area.

The role of the policemen had come under the scanner as they had failed to ensure the safety of the demolition staff. Accused hotelier Vijay Singh, after firing, had fled while the two QRT sleuths, carrying AK-47, had failed to fire.

The deputed policemen had not carried their personal weapons and no effort had been made to collect advance inputs about the presence of weapons or the sensitivity of the area prior to the demolition drive. Even hoteliers and people living nearby were not asked to surrender arms. To make matters worse, the then SP had left the district at the time when the demolition drive was underway.

Were without weapons

• The role of the policemen has come under the scanner as they had failed to ensure the safety of the demolition staff
• Accused hotelier Vijay Singh, after firing, had fled while two QRT sleuths, carrying AK-47, had failed to fire
• The deputed policemen had not carried their personal weapons
• No efforts were made to collect advance inputs about the presence of weapons or the sensitivity of the area prior to the demolition drive