After ‘feud’ with IPS officer Ilma Afroz, Himachal Congress MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary praises Baddi SP who succeeded her

Chaudhary also demanded a sophisticated, state-of-the-art de-addiction centre in his Doon constituency, which includes the Baddi police district. He further highlighted critical issues, including the depletion of groundwater, the poor sewage system, and the deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) in the industrial area of Baddi.

Afroz, a woman IPS officer from the 2018 batch, was posted as Baddi SP on January 27, 2024. She took a 15-day earned leave starting November 7, reportedly due to disagreements with him. However, the MLA denied any involvement in the officer’s approved leave. Dhiman, a Himachal Pradesh Police Service (HPPS) officer, was appointed as Baddi SP on November 12, five days after Afroz proceeded on leave.

Subsequently, a local agriculturist, Sucha Ram, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Himachal Pradesh High Court, alleging that Afroz, a graduate of St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a Rhodes Scholar who studied at the University of Oxford, was pressured into taking leave. He also said law and order in the area had deteriorated after her transfer.

The high court dismissed the PIL, which sought her reinstatement as Baddi SP on March 4. On March 9, Afroz, who had been attached to the state police headquarters in Shimla, was transferred as SP of Lahaul and Spiti.

Earlier, during the Monsoon Session in September 2024, Chaudhary filed a privilege motion against Afroz, accusing her of breaching his privacy. The inquiry into his allegations was assigned to Deputy Inspector General Abhishek Dullar, and the state police submitted the probe report to the office of the secretary of Assembly in February.