Shah’s Karnal visit: Haryana Police Academy director flags security concern, says his team wasn’t kept in loop

Flagging concerns over VVIP security, Haryana Police Academy (HPA) director has shot off a two-page letter to the state top cop alleging that his team was sidelined and not involved in advance security liaisoning (ASL) during Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Karnal on November 2.

“The HPA staff was “at the mercy of” juniors when “second prominent protected person of the country” was visiting the academy for a state-level function,” reads the letter (a copy with HT) written by HPA, Madhuban, director Dr CS Rao to DGP Shatrujeet Kapur.

Urging the DGP look into this matter, Rao, who holds the rank of additional director general of police (ADGP) and is a 1995-batch IPS officer, said: “The major concerns are that the ASL was done without informing and taking into confidence the organisation in which the Union home minister was landing, taking off and where the state lunch was held.” Shah had come to the HPA during his Karnal visit in connection with the “Antyodaya Sammelan”.

Rao also requested the DGP to take remedial measures to avoid such incidents in future.

The ADGP stated that when the matter was taken up with Karnal IG, the officer came up with “an interesting counter narrative” that HPA was informed about the security arrangements through HAP’s Commandant of 5th Battalion.

“His claim that copy of security arrangements made by Karnal SP and IGP Karnal was circulated to HPA is also an absolute lie as the same is a verifiable matter of record,” the letter says.

The HPA director has stated that neither HAP Commandant (5th Battalion) informed any officer of the academy nor the academy ever received security arrangements issued by local SP/IGP.

“IGP/Karnal when confronted with the same, instead of admitting the fact started arguing with me, which only reflects his disrespect and indifference towards his senior officers. If that is the manner in which he deals with his well-meaning senior police officers, one can imagine his receptivity/sensitivity towards dealing with the public,” reads the letter.

The lunch ‘mess’

The second concern, letter raises, is that the list of invitees to the lunch was never finalised and issued. This made it very difficult for making seating arrangements for the state lunch. The HPA director has said that he relied on the advice of the DGP and “also stuck to the suggestions of deputy principal secretary (to CM)” and made seating arrangements accordingly.

But an ASI-rank CRPF official came to the mess and asked the staff to remove the tables and chairs and confined the number of persons on the VVIP table to “only seven” whereas arrangements were made for 13 dignitaries “as per the received dais plan.”

This last-minute alteration in the plan left most of the space in the mess vacant and frantic efforts were made to invite Haryana cabinet ministers to the dining hall.

“The ministers kept trickling in till Union home minister was halfway through his lunch,” reads the letter.

Not just this, at the eleventh hour, the HAP Commandant replaced mature police officials of the academy deputed to facilitate the guests at lunch venue by couple of women police officials.

“He said the arrangements were finalised during the ASL to which the academy was not a privy,” the HPA director said.

“So, we were left at the mercy of an ASI, an “ill-mannered” commandant, and a “callous” local IG who dictated terms to the director of the academy,” Rao said. When asked, Rao refused to comment on the letter.