CBI quizzes IPS officer Kuldeep Singh Chahal over corruption charges
The CBI has questioned Jalandhar Police commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal for alleged corruption and misconduct during his tenure as SSP Chandigarh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday quizzed Jalandhar Police commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal for alleged corruption and misconduct during his tenure as senior superintendent of police (SSP), Chandigarh, officials said.
The CBI had launched a preliminary enquiry against the officer on a reference from Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit, the officials added.
Chahal was quizzed in the CBI office in Sector 30 for nearly 4 hours. When contacted, Chahal said that he had gone to submit a reply to CBI with regards to a query raised by the investigating agency in an old case. He refused to divulge further details about the case.
The 2009-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who was on deputation in Chandigarh, was sent back to his parent cadre, Punjab, in December last year, even though 10 months were left for the completion of his three-year tenure in the Union Territory. The IPS officer was promoted as a DIG, and on his re-entry into the Punjab cadre, he was posted as the Jalandhar police commissioner.
The probe was started following references forwarded by the office of UT administrator Purohit against Chahal to the CBI, on the basis of which the IPS officer’s tenure as SSP-Chandigarh was cut short.
In a letter to the governor, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had expressed surprise over Chahal’s repatriation and the handing over of the charge to a Haryana-cadre IPS officer, saying this was going to disturb the balance among the states in running the affairs of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Purohit, in his reply, has said that Mann did not “ascertain facts” before writing to him. Purohit also had said the officer was sent back to his parent cadre after complaints of misconduct were received against him, adding that he had apprised the Punjab chief secretary on November 28 of his decision.
