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No pressure over action against top cop: Virbhadra

Staff Correspondent

CBI enquiry into the charges in progress

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has said that his Government was not under any pressure not to take action against Additional Director-General of Police Bhupinder Singh Thind if he was found guilty of charges against him.

Talking to reporters here, he said a CBI enquiry into the charges against the police officer was going on and the facts were yet to be ascertained. He maintained that the Government had asked for an explanation from the officer after receiving the letter from the CBI.

The Chief Minister said that most of the cases against Mr. Thind were going on outside Himachal. Asked about the controversial role of the officer as Managing Director of the State-owned Agro Packaging Industries, the Chief Minister said Mr. Thind had done everything according to the norms prescribed by the Board of Directors.

"Gross irregularities" by the police officer had been alleged by the previous BJP government. Known as a blue-eyed boy of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, he remained mostly outside the State during the BJP's five-year rule.

He shot into limelight after he was accused of possessing real estate properties in Chandigarh and Punjab. Cases were filed against him for alleged cheating and forgery with the banks. The opposition BJP had raised much hue and cry against him and his alleged sheltering by Virbhadra Singh. But he was appointed ADGP when the Congress came to power. He was also considered a strong contender for the top post of DGP when the then incumbent A. K. Puri retired in January this year. A strong lobby of top police officers had then openly revolted and expressed their resentment against his "out-of-way appointment on political grounds".

Mr. Thind had alleged that some people were professionally against him and unnecessarily dragging his name into controversies.

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No pressure over action against top cop: Virbhadra

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