Why Khattar and Vij want control over the CID?

A showdown is shaping up between Haryana chief minister, ML Khattar and home minister Anil Vij. A controversy erupted on Tuesday when the official websites of the

A showdown is shaping up between Haryana chief minister, ML Khattar and home minister Anil Vij. A controversy erupted on Tuesday when the official websites of the state showed Khattar the minister in charge of the CID. The home minister reacted sharply to this. Vij said that a mere mention on a website cannot divest him of the CID charge and a process has to be followed for reallocating any department to a minister. So why is the CID so important in Haryana? Assistant Editor Hitender Rao takes a close look.

HT Image

What’s the CID and its role?

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Haryana is the intelligence arm of the state police. It predominantly deals in collection of political and criminal intelligence, according to Punjab Police Rules (as applicable to Haryana). The Haryana Police Act says that the state police shall have a state intelligence wing for collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of intelligence. The CID, as per the Act, also have a separate state crime investigation wing.

Whom does the CID report to?

The CID as per the Business of the Haryana government (Allocation) Rules-1974 is incorporated as a part of the home department. The functions of security, intelligence including espionage and counter espionage which the state CID also looks after are also under the control of the home department. The business allocation rules only specify home, jails and administration of justice as three separate departments.

So what’s the fuss over controlling the CID?

The home portfolio in Haryana has been usually held by chief minister. The CID bosses in the state were always picked on the basis of their equation and loyalty quotient towards the chief minister. In the past cabinet ministers like Mani Ram Godara, Tayyab Hussain and Sampat Singh who held Home portfolio worked in the shadows of domineering chief ministers like Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala and never meddled in the CID affairs despite being officially in charge. Home minister Anil Vij, who is a tough customer, has not been given the charge of jails and administration of justice departments which normally stays with the home minister, giving up on CID would reduce him to a paper tiger.

But why CID is so significant?

Chief ministers make use of the CID apparatus primarily for gathering political intelligence. The intelligence arm provides the chief minister with critical inputs on political developments, activities of political rivals, ruling party MLAs, make forecasts regarding imminent threats or complexities etc. In fact, an efficient CID apparatus acts as the eyes and ears of the chief minister and keep him a step ahead of his rivals both within and outside his party. So the intelligence arm provides a sense of bloated power to the chief minister.

Has there been a dark side to the CID functioning?

There have been instances when the CID was accused of prying on ruling and opposition politicians. Former minister of state for home Gopal Kanda had in 2014 accused the Congress government of illegally tapping the phones of ministers. In 2006, the Congress government had acquired a state-of-the-art phone interception and monitoring system along with a passive off-air (POA) phone interception contraption for “tracking criminals”. Post Nira Radia tapes controversy, Union home ministry in 2011 issued a directive to state governments across the country asking them to surrender all POA GSM interception devices, terming them illegal. After great reluctance, the Haryana CID, which was in possession of one such POA device surrendered the apparatus.

Can CM re-allocate CID to himself?

Yes, he can. But for doing that the council of ministers will have to amend the Business of the Haryana Government (Allocation) Rules, 1974 and define CID as a standalone department. As per the allocation rules, the governor on the advice of the CM, can allot among the ministers the business of the government by assigning one or more departments to charge of a minister. Also, the chief minister can get one department assigned to the charge of more than one minister.