Delhi: As poll season peaks in Himachal Pradesh, state police chief Sanjay Kundu has found himself in the crosshairs of the Congress, which has complained to the Election Commission (EC) about his “lack of neutrality” due to his purported closeness to Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and for being “under suspicion” in a police recruitment exam paper leak “scam”. The letter has also demanded his transfer before voting takes place on 12 November.
In its complaint to the EC, dated 3 November, the state Congress has argued that Kundu served as principal secretary to the chief minister before he was appointed Himachal’s director general of police (DGP), and could influence the polling process as the in-charge of the police deployment during voting.
To back the case for the DGP’s removal, the letter also made allegations about his possible involvement in a police recruitment paper leak case from earlier this year.
According to sources in the state government, the EC has written to Himachal chief secretary R.D. Dhiman to provide a response, but this has not yet been sent despite a reminder from the election watchdog.
Speaking to ThePrint, Himachal Congress working president and MLA Rajendra Rana said that the paper the for recruitment of police constables had been leaked during Kundu’s tenure as DGP, and that only “small fry” had been arrested.
“The officer is still under suspicion, so how can he be allowed to keep serving as police chief? We are raising this issue in our campaign, but it is up to the EC to ensure he cannot be allowed to serve during polls,” Rana said.
The BJP, meanwhile, has dismissed the Congress’s allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
“There is no ground for this complaint from the Congress. The DGP’s conduct has not been tainted,” said BJP state vice-president Purshotam Guleria. “As soon as the paper leak scam was noticed, more than 170 people were arrested, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed, and the state government recommended a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry. The Congress is merely trying to create a controversy before polling.”
When ThePrint contacted DGP Kundu, he refused to comment on the matter. “I can’t comment on the issue as the elections are going on and it will be against the code of conduct,” he said.
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Who is Sanjay Kundu?
A 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Sanjay Kundu came into prominence in 2018 when the Jairam Thakur-led BJP government recalled him early from central deputation and appointed him additional principal secretary to the CM — a post that usually goes to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers.
He was also placed in charge of important departments such as taxation, excise, and vigilance. In January 2019, he was appointed principal secretary to the CM, further cementing the perception that he was close to Thakur.
Kundu returned to active policing in June 2020, when he was appointed the state’s DGP.
According to news reports, Kundu was initially brought back from Delhi to Himachal in the wake of the May 2018 shooting death of assistant town planner Shail Bala Sharma, which led to an outcry from the opposition about law and order in the state.
Prior to going on central deputation as a joint secretary in the water resources department in 2016, Kundu had served as additional DGP in Himachal Pradesh and had also completed a stint in Sudan as a deputy police commissioner with the United Nations. In 2005-2006, he was a fellow under the Fulbright scholarship scheme at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Paper leak scam, ‘upright officer’
Controversy struck the state government as well as the police in March this year, when a paper leak in an exam to recruit 1,700 constables came to light. So far, over 171 arrests have been made in the case, and in May, the Himachal government transferred state police recruitment board chairman J.P. Singh, but the matter has become a major talking point for the Congress as polls near.
While the SIT investigating the case has not established the involvement of police officers, Congress leaders have pointed at a CBI probe not taking place despite being announced, and accused the state government and top police officers of corruption and a “cover-up’”
According to I.D. Bhandari, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader who served as DGP during the previous Prem Kumar Dhumal government, there could be “many things to come out in the case” still, but that the allegations targeted at Kundu do not seem to hold water as he is an “upright officer”.
“Initially, it was demanded that a departmental inquiry should be held about involvement of police officers in the paper leak scam. Lots of candidates had sold their land to purchase the paper and their careers ended. The CBI has also not started investigation in this case,” Bhandari said.
“But as far as Kundu is concerned, he is an upright officer. He was SP (superintendent of police) Chamba and Bilaspur during my tenure, and there is no taint on his career. This demand for his transfer ahead of polls is purely political, nothing more,” he added.
According to state government sources, with heat intensifying over the paper leak scam, Kundu has requested to be released for central deputation. The Union home ministry has approved his empanelment at the level of DG at the centre, the sources added.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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