Arrests of IG, 6 others in HP spell more trouble for Cong

SHIMLA: With elections to the state assembly barely two months away, the arrest of inspector general of police (IGP) Zahur Zaidi and seven other cops in connection with custodial death of Nepalese national Suraj, one of the six accused in the rape and murder of 16-year-old schoolgirl, will spell more trouble for the Virbhadra Singh government, which is already facing the flak.

The arrest of cops came at a time when the government is under intense criticism for botched-up police investigations into the rape and murder that sparked off statewide public outrage. Virbhadra, who is facing a disproportionate assets case, has left for Delhi along with his wife Pratibha Singh and others.

The rape and murder case has added fuel to the aggressive campaign launched by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal to oust his government.

The Kotkhai rape and murder case had rocked the recent monsoon session of the state assembly as the BJP’s demand for a debate on the law and order situation in the state forced repeated adjournments in the House. BJP legislators accused the government of botching up investigations in the case. The BJP had also accused the government of shielding the prime accused in the case. The saffron party has been targeting the CM over the corruption cases against him and hitting out at his government for poor governance.

In his sixth tenure as CM, Virbhadra spent more time shuttling between Delhi and Shimla in the wake of the disproportionate assets case.

Besides, the CM is also grappling with factionalism in the Congress. A group of Congress MLAs hostile to him have already shot off a letter to state party president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, expressing concern over the law and order situation in the state.

Meanwhile reacting to the developments, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal sais, “From the beginning, we had doubts that certain people were trying to destroy evidence and distort facts. The CBI is working in the right direction. We expect the sleuths will trace the real culprits.”

Similarly, former Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan, “The arrests have indicated the government’s role in botching up the investigations into the case. Though the probe has unravelled the custodial death, the truth behind the rape-murder is yet to come out.”