Probe transferred from Kunwar Vijay to IGP Naunihal Singh

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court was on Monday told that Punjab Police have transferred probe into allegations of rape against a vigilance department officer from IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh to a special investigation team headed by IGP, Jalandhar Range, Naunihal Singh. The information was given by petitioner’s counsel, Pradeep Virk, even as the state’s counsel sought time to file a reply in the case. The information was given during the resumed hearing of a November 2019 plea seeking transfer of probe in the rape case against assistant inspector general (vigilance) Ashish Kapoor from Kunwar Vijay to some other official.

Virk had cited a January 13 order of director, Bureau of Investigation, in which it was stated that SIT head, Naunihal Singh would co-opt suitable number of police officers to ensure a fair and thorough probe.

Kapoor had told court that state special operation cell had named him in the FIR after a woman from Haryana levelled allegations of rape and criminal intimidation against him. The woman — who was convicted in an immigration fraud case — in a statement before a judicial magistrate in Mohali had alleged that she was raped and cheated by Kapoor and some other police officials.

Originally, the FIR registered in May 2019, pertained to an extortion case in which Patiala jail superintendent Rajan Kapur was dismissed. Kunwar Vijay had looked into the complaint of the woman who alleged harassment inside the jail.

AIG Kapoor had admitted that he knew the woman, but had claimed that he was indicted on a mere statement of the woman as he refused to bow down to her demands to help her in the immigration fraud case. The allegations against Kunwar Vijay was that he was‘acting as the de-facto complainant’ and making all efforts possible to ‘establish his (Kapoor’s) culpability’.