Shimla | May 25, 2025
The hill state is on the boil. The sensitive mysterious death case of senior HP Power Corporation chief engineer Vimal Negi has spun into a full-blown political and administrative crisis, exposing deep fissures in the state police hierarchy — and pushing the government onto the back foot.
Now, with the Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the "collapse of law and order and institutional credibility," all eyes are on Monday’s meeting between the CM and the sulking Governor.
Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh Police morale lies in tatters.
Officers across the ranks are openly whispering — this should never have gone public.
“It was a matter for internal resolution — not a press war,” remarked a senior officer, reacting to SP Shimla Sanjeev Gandhi’s so-called explosive selective limited press briefing where he named and perhaps shamed top officials, even dragging in the Governor's office.
The internal sentiment within the force is that the rift between SP Gandhi and DGP Atul Verma should’ve been dealt with behind closed doors, not splashed across headlines.
Enjoying protection from HP CM, Gandhi has mustered courage taking on the Governor office, DGP, Sudhir Sharma, BJP Dharamshala MLA, former DC Shimla Aditya Negi, NSG and the like,
DGP Atul Verma, stung by the public spectacle, has formally sought the suspension of SP Sanjeev Gandhi, citing indiscipline, insubordination, and breach of service conduct rules.
There are others who mull that the government should take action against the erring officers under conduct rules to save police force from the fall in grace in public eye.
But even as Verma inches toward retirement on May 31, murmurs persist that the government may delay action — only to move decisively once he steps down.
Things have now come to such a head that the DGP office had to issue a public clarification today (May 25). In a statement titled “Clarification Regarding Inappropriate Reference to Constitutional Authority”, the DGP’s office said:
“It has come to notice that a junior officer of Himachal Pradesh Police has made an inappropriate reference to a constitutional authority.
The Office of the Director General of Police deeply regrets this unauthorised and improper mention.
Any inconvenience caused is sincerely regretted. The views expressed are not reflective of the Himachal Pradesh Police as a whole.
All officials, across ranks, remain steadfast in their devotion to duty and uphold the dignity of constitutional institutions, stated the notification.
This rare and uncomfortable order has only reinforced the view that the police force is in disarray.
Many recall the Gudia murder case, where the CBI had charge-sheeted an Inspector General of Police and six officers last year, leading to a massive dent in the department's credibility.
"Is the Vimal Negi case headed the same way?" — that’s the uncomfortable question now echoing across Himachal.
The High Court has already handed the probe to the CBI, observing that the inter-departmental feud had compromised the investigation.
But in a stunning twist, SP Shimla reportedly tried to block the CBI team from accessing key documents, citing a pending appeal — even as the Advocate General clarified that no such appeal had been filed.
The drama doesn’t stop there.
Whispers in the corridors of power are that there was a covert, high-stakes meeting at Himachal Sadan in Delhi on May 22 — attended by the CM, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, AG Anup Rattan, and others.
In this meeting, sources reveal, plans were allegedly floated to chargesheet both Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Onkar Sharma and DGP Verma.
But politics took over. With Onkar Sharma seen as a local heavyweight, the needle swung toward the DGP.
The deliberation: chargesheet before retirement or after?
A sub-inspector stationed at Himachal Sadan reportedly caught wind of this and began claiming that CM had approved action against the DGP.
Back in Shimla, SP Gandhi was reportedly swaggering, claiming he had enough “ammo” to slap multiple FIRs on the DGP.
But then came the unexpected: on Friday, the High Court's judgment in the Vimal Negi case went against the government.
Plans changed. A damage-control strategy was quickly drawn. An illusionary transfer proposal for SP Shimla was floated — not to act, but to cool tempers until DGP retired.
But Gandhi wasn’t buying the bait.
What followed was a fiery limited press brief by SP Gandhi, where he named not just the DGP and CS and Sudhir Sharma, but also referred to the Governor as a “constitutional authority” — setting off alarm bells in Raj Bhavan.
Already miffed over an unrelated land dispute (RK Mission–Brahmo Samaj case), the Governor has now refused to meet any officer until Monday, leaving the administrative setup paralyzed.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur minced no words: “If the CM cannot even handle his police department, he has no moral right to remain in office. He has failed the state.”
As governance takes a back seat and police morale sinks to a new low, Himachal Pradesh is staring at a deep crisis of credibility.
And the question remains — who will finally step in to restore order in this hill state in chaos?
HP CM has to answer so many questions to restore order taking decisive action as SP has claimed to have filed fresh LPA in the High Court.
Everybody has questioned whether SP has such an authority to do so?
CM has to clear the clatter. Sooner the better.
#HimachalCrisis #PoliceMoraleDown #DGPvsSP #CBIProbe #ShimlaDrama
