In a significant development, Himachal Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Manoj Kumar Chauhan on Saturday instructed Kangra Superintendent of Police (SP) Shalini Agnihotri not to be involved in the security arrangements of Palampur-based businessman Nishant Sharma. Last year, Sharma had filed a petition against her and then Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu, alleging threats to implicate him in false cases and threats to his life from them.
Meanwhile, in a letter, Chauhan instructed the ADGP (law & order) to exclusively monitor the security arrangements of Sharma as per a Supreme Court judgment dated April 19.
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In the letter, Chauhan stated, “I am directed to enclose herewith a copy of the judgment/order dated April 19 passed by the Supreme Court in the above-titled case on the subject cited above. The Supreme Court of India has directed the state government that the monitoring of the security arrangements provided to Nishant Sharma shall be exclusively within the domain of the Additional Director General of Police of Himachal Pradesh. Furthermore, the Superintendent of Police, District Kangra, is instructed not to be involved in the security arrangements for Nishant Sharma.”
Notably, Nishant Sharma, against whom then DGP Sanjay Kundu had lodged an FIR in Shimla, was provided with a security cover following the instructions of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which had taken suo moto notice of Sharma’s complaint in December 2023.
In December last year, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had ordered the removal of then DGP Sanjay Kundu and Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri to other posts, but later the apex court stayed the orders in January 2024. The matter is still pending.
DGP Sanjay Kundu, a 1989 batch IPS officer, retired from the police service on April 30. Dr Atul Verma, a 1991 batch IPS officer, is the new DGP of Himachal Pradesh.
When contacted, Sharma said, “I was provided a security cover by the judiciary. The Kangra SP was influencing my security cover. I appraised the apex court about it.”
Saurabh Parashar is a journalist with The Indian Express, where he primarily covers developments in Himachal Pradesh. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2017 and has earlier worked with The Times of India. He has 17 year + experience in the field of print journalism. An alumnus of Government College for Men, Sector 11, (Panjab University), Chandigarh, Saurabh holds a Diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chandigarh. He pursued his Master’s in Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. In addition, he completed his law degree from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. ... Read More