Chandigarh, July 25, 2019: Election Commission of India has reprimanded the Government of Punjab for its ‘cavalier attitude’ and ‘deliberate obfuscation’ in handling the issue of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, IPS, who at present is IGP, Organised Crime Control Unit with additional charge of IG, Counter Intelligence, Amritsar.
“The Commission would like to convey their considered displeasure at the way this entire issue of shifting of Kunwar Pratap Singh as member of SIT has been handled by the Government of Punjab in cavalier and irresponsible manner. It shall be ensured that such a lapse should not recur in future,” states the scathing letter written by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dr Sandeep Saxena to the Government of Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh.
During the run up to the general election to Lok Sabha, 2019, a delegation of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) met the Commission on March 22 and handed over a memorandum by Naresh Gujral, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, seeking action against Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh for allegedly misusing his official position as member SIT by making sensational and political statement in connection with ongoing election process and cited some other instances to buttress their averments. The memorandum demanded that he be shifted out of SIT as he went to the media even before the chargesheet was filed and gave nuanced statements in addition to other factors.
The Commission sought a report from Chief Election Officer, Punjab, and based on his report dated April 2, the Commission directed Punjab Chief Secretary through a letter dated April 5 to relieve of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from his present post with immediate effect and also that he should not be given a post related to conduct of elections.
Commission also directed the Chief Secretary that suitable action be initiated against the officer and the member SIT be directed not to air any views on progress of the investigation etc during the period of Moral Code of Conduct (MCC) which may have the potential to adversely affect the fairness of the conduct of the electoral process.
According to the letter, a compliance report was furnished by the Chief Secretary informing the Commission that Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was relieved of his present post of IGP/Crime, Bureau of Investigations, Punjab and IGP/Organised Crime Control Unit and posted as IGP, Counter Intelligence, Amritsar. The report also mentioned that the officer will not be assigned any work related to conduct of election and he had been advised not to air any views during the MCC which will effect fairness of the conduct of election process.
Thereafter, the Commission started receiving representations from various quarters seeking review of the Commission’s order and withdrawal of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh’s transfer order.
Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh wrote to the Commission on April 10, confirming the transfer of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh even while seeking the review of the Commission’s decision.
However, on June 4, a SAD delegation met the Commission alleging that Government of Punjab was misleading the Commission by shifting Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh as IGP Counter Intelligence, Amritsar, as he continued to be a member of SIT.
At this stage the matter was taken up with Government of Punjab and the Chief Secretary met the Commission on July 4.
“The Election Commission of India will like to convey that it is clear that there appears to have been deliberate obfuscation by Government of Punjab in respect of shifting of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from SIT and now this action is sought to be explained away and justified by playing upon the semantics. It is not even clear whether during the process of elections the Punjab Chief Minister was kept fully briefed on the subject,” the letter states.
The letter says that the unconditional apology tendered by the Chief Secretary in the matter was accepted by the Commission and warned that such a lapse should not recur in the future.