Himachal Pradesh government on Monday took major action by dismissing 11 police personnel from service for their involvement in chitta smuggling. The action against these employees has been taken under the state government’s zero tolerance policy against chitta and drugs and under Article 311(2)(B) of the Indian Constitution.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said this action is a clear and stern message that there is no place in the police force, which is supposed to protect the law, for those who break it. The dismissed police personnel include employees posted in Vigilance, CID, Battalions, police stations, and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) formed to prevent chitta smuggling.
Chairing a meeting at the state secretariat on Monday, the Chief Minister said the responsibility of the police is to take strict action against chitta. If police personnel themselves are involved in chitta smuggling, who will stop it. Anyone involved in chitta smuggling and illegal trade will not be spared. Strict action is being implemented against government employees involved in chitta trafficking.
The Chief Minister directed all departments to prepare a detailed report of all employees involved in chitta smuggling and send it to the Chief Secretary immediately. He also gave instructions to send reports of property acquired by employees through chitta to the government. In the meeting, Director General of Police Ashok Tiwari briefed about the action taken by the police department against chitta.
List of dismissed police personnel:
| S.No. | Name | Rank | Posting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neeraj Kumar | Inspector | Indian Reserve Battalion, Bangadh |
| 2 | Shubham Thakur | Police Constable | Bilaspur |
| 3 | Kapil | Constable | Indian Reserve Battalion, Pandoh |
| 4 | Shiv Kumar | Constable | SDRF |
| 5 | Lakshya Chauhan | Constable | Shimla Police |
| 6 | Vishal Thakur | Constable | State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau |
| 7 | Gaurav Verma | Constable | Indian Reserve Battalion, Jangalberi |
| 8 | Sandeep Rana | Constable | Indian Reserve Battalion, Sakoh |
| 9 | Ankush Kumar | Constable | SDRF |
| 10 | Rajat Chandel | Constable | State CID |
| 11 | Rahul Verma | Constable | Shimla |
The Chief Minister announced reward amounts for informing about chitta gangs: Rs 10,000 for information on up to 2 grams of chitta, Rs 25,000 for 5 grams, Rs 50,000 for 25 grams, Rs 5 lakh for one kilogram, and Rs 10 lakh for information on more than one kilogram of chitta. The government has started emergency number 112 for chitta-related information.
