IG Kunwar Vijay has his way, says CM Amarinder agreed to accept resignation

The IG had made a request for voluntary retirement on April 11, two days after the high court quashed the SIT investigation into Kotkapura police firing and directed the state government to reconstitute the SIT without Kunwar Vijay Pratap.

Inspector General of Police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh Friday said Capt Amarinder Singh has agreed to accept his resignation, four days after the Punjab Chief Minister had turned down the IPS officer’s voluntary retirement plea.

The 1998-batch officer had tendered his resignation after the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the probe by a Punjab Police SIT led by him. The Special Investigation Team was probing into two cases of police firing at people who had been protesting against the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. Two people were killed in the police action in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan of Faridkot district.

Kunwar Vijay Prtatap, who has nearly eight years of service left, said he has convinced the CM to accept his request for voluntary retirement.

“In the last three to four days, I had meetings with the honourable chief minister sahib. He tried a lot to convince me. You can say he tried to persuade me (not to resign). But…I succeeded in persuading him and he agreed,” the IPS officer told reporters after meeting Governor VP Singh Badnore at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh.

The officer further said, “I give him an assurance that if the government takes any positive step to save this case (pertaining to investigation into sacrilege of the holy book and police firing), I will extend full help and support despite being out of service”.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap said he had come to Raj Bhawan as part of his monthly routine to meet the Governor in “private capacity and not as an officer”.

The IG also questioned the media coverage of his meeting with Governor. “It is obvious how you came and why you came,” he said.

On demands that the SIT report into the 2015 incidents be made public, the IPS officer said, “It is already public. What is presented before the court as challan is a public document. Those who are demanding to make it public, do not have knowledge about it.”

Asked to comment on the Facebook post where he said he would continue to serve society in the best possible manner, but not as an IPS officer, he said, “This is not an appropriate place (outside Raj Bhawan) to talk about that. You come to my office and ask about me”.

After the CM, on Tuesday, refused to accept his request for voluntary retirement, the IPS officer, in a Facebook post said, “I did my part… No regret… Each and every sentence of my report and chargesheet is an evidence in itself… It cannot be negated in any manner… Guilty mind cannot dare to face the mirror of truth… I have filed the appeal in the court of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji for final verdict; the most superior court as per my wisdom and knowledge of law.”

He made the request for voluntary retirement on April 11, two days after the high court quashed the SIT investigation into Kotkapura police firing and directed the state government to reconstitute the SIT without Kunwar Vijay Pratap.

In his application, the IG sought retirement from the service with effect from April 15 “after attaining more than 50 years of age”.

Kunwar, in the letter to chief secretary through Punjab DGP, wrote, “It is further requested to relax the period of prior notice of three-months, in public interest… I am fully satisfied with my 22 years of service with the Government of Punjab. This service has provided me adequate opportunity to learn and grow and to acquire capabilities to serve humanity in a true sense. I will continue to serve the society in the best possible manner, walking on the path of “Shubh karman te kabhu na taro”.

The CM had turned down his plea while describing him as a “skilled, capable and courageous officer with an exemplary track record”. Amarinder had further said that the probe will be taken to its logical conclusion under the supervision of the same officer.

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