Chandigarh: Haryana Inspector General of Police Hemant Kalson, who was removed as a police election observer from Tamil Nadu Sunday, is no stranger to controversy.
Kalson was removed after he allegedly fired in the air with a constable’s semi-automatic gun outside the Circuit House at Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu’s Chidambaram Lok Sabha constituency. He was allegedly in an inebriated state and caused a stir in the area.
An FIR has been registered against Kalson while the Haryana government Monday suspended the officer.
The 54-year-old IPS officer, however, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons before too. He was assaulted by passers-by last year following a road rage incident. The incident took place in September 2018 when Kalson was posted as the deputy inspector general of police with the state vigilance bureau.
The road rage incident
According to reports, Kalson was driving with a friend from Pinjore to Panchkula where he had gone to meet his brother when the driver of an SUV crossed his vehicle dangerously. Kalson allegedly chased him and forced the driver to stop the car. A heated argument followed after which Kalson allegedly slapped the car driver.
Several onlookers who had gathered at the spot, many from a nearby liquor shop, started beating up Kalson who then began apologising. After Kalson left the spot he went to the local hospital and got himself medically examined. No grievous injuries were reported.
While no FIR was registered over the incident and the driver and Kalson reached a compromise, a daily diary report (DDR) was, however, made of the incident.
The incident would have gone unnoticed but for some videos of Kalson bleeding from the mouth going viral a month later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeTY5EFmVhY
The crowd is heard abusing him, with Kalson responding, “I made a mistake, my hands are folded, what more do you want?” He is also heard telling the crowd that he is a DIG.
In another video of the incident, the car driver whom Kalson had slapped is crying and telling the police (which too was present at the spot) how he was beaten up by Kalson. The crowd is heard alleging that Kalson is drunk and demand action against him, surrounding the car to ensure that he does not leave in his car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okfqp1N5ZDo&feature=youtu.be
State officer promoted to IPS
Originally a Haryana police service officer, Kalson was promoted to the IPS in 2006. He served as the SP (Panchkula) for a year in 2007 before being shifted as SP Narnaul. For several years he was an SP in the state vigilance bureau.
Kalson was then transferred as a deputy inspector general of police (DIG) in the state vigilance bureau, a post he held for over three years before being transferred as DIG home guards in November 2018. He was promoted as an IG in December 2018.
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