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Ambala court stays DIG’s arrest in Kapil Vij assault case
Ambala range DIG, Vigilance Bureau, Ashok Kumar, who is accused of misbehaving and assaulting Haryana home minister Anil Vij’s brother at a club on Sunday, is absconding
A day after the Ambala Police booked a 54-year-old deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Haryana Police for allegedly assaulting and misbehaving with state home minister Anil Vij’s brother Kapil Vij at a club in Ambala Cantonment, a court stayed the arrest of the officer till Tuesday.
During a hearing on the anticipatory bail plea moved by DIG, Vigilance Bureau (Ambala Range), Ashok Kumar, the court of additional sessions judge Sundeep Singh delayed the arrest for one day for the prosecution (state) to file response to the bail application.
Kumar’s counsel Satinder Singh Garg said that the case itself is false and no rules were followed by the police due to political pressure from Anil Vij.
“To file an FIR against a serving IPS officer, the police have to seek permission from the central and state governments. However, in this case, due to political pressure of the state home minister, no such permission was sought. Moreover, the minister has some personal grudge against Kumar as he didn’t follow his instructions in a few investigations in the past. It was a perfect occasion for them to take revenge as they gathered in a party on Sunday,” the advocate said.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Hamid Akhtar said, “This claim wasn’t taken up during the first hearing on Monday. We’ll respond when it is contested in the next hearing.”
Kapil, 61, in his police statement, said, “I went to the birthday party of Phoenix Club former chairman Rakesh Aggarwal’s grandson at Sirhind Club in the cantonment with Rajesh of Shastri Colony and Ajay Aggarwal of Guru Nanak Marg. When we were about to have lunch, Ashok Kumar, who we later found is DIG (vigilance), under the influence of alcohol and without any provocation started abusing me and my family, and also threatened me of dire consequences.”
“He said that he is DIG (vigilance) and nobody could harm him. He also made obscene gestures at me while leaving,” Kapil added.
Acting on his complaint, a case was registered against the DIG under Sections 294 (obscene act), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Ambala Cantt police station.
Akhtar said that multiple teams are investigating the facts and the crime spot that was an open place without any CCTVs.
People close to Kapil Vij said that both Vij and Kumar were sitting on separate tables, when the latter picked up an argument.
“Kapil was discussing about the vaccine that his brother was administered during the trial, at his table and the officer, in an inebriated condition, intervened during lunch saying that the infection and vaccination is a fraud itself. He was told by a guest about Kapil, but he said that he is not afraid of anyone, not even Anil Vij,” a local said.
Kumar, a 2006 batch IPS officer, has served at senior positions at Ambala including DCP (rural), SP and SP (railways) in the past as well. A local politician, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “It is amusing how a senior officer, who has spent so many years in Ambala couldn’t recognise the brother of the state home minister and local MLA.”
