Haryana cop shifted after spat with neta

CHANDIGARH/AMBALA: The Haryana government on Saturday transferred an IPS officer a day after a video clip of her public spat with the state health minister went viral, sparking an angry reaction against him from the opposition and on social media.

An official statement said Fatehabad superintendent of police Sangeeta Kalia has been the 4th Indian Reserve Battalion in Manesar and will be replaced by Om Parkash Narwal.

On Friday, health minister Anil Vij walked out of a public meeting in Fatehabad, over 200 km from Chandigarh, following an altercation with Kalia who allegedly refused to follow his order to “get out” of the venue. A complaint of illegal liquor sale had triggered the clash between the two.

The opposition Congress — which had itself faced allega during its tenure in the state — was quick to pounce on the issue after the video clip went viral.

Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the minister should have maintained decorum while speaking to a woman officer and deprecated his behaviour with her.

Earlier in the day, chief minister ML Khattar told reporters in Karnal that he had taken cognisance of the matter and it will be dealt with appropriately the issue but said, “The media knows everything what happened and I don’t want to comment on it”.

In a tweet on Saturday, Vij said he was ready to “pay any price and make any sacrifice to ensure justice to people who are oppressed due to the indifferent attitude” of the administration.

Vij also wrote to the state director general of police seeking security for an NGO that had filed a complaint against