Himachal Pradesh Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau grilled the senior-most Indian Police Services officer I.D. Bhandari for over two hours over alleged tapping phones case of politicians and government officials at Shimla.
Mr. Bhandari, who was Additional Director General of Police or in-charge of crime investigation department when the illegal phone tapping reportedly took place during the last rule BJP rule was grilled by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau .
Mr. Bhandari appeared before the agency for the first time at Shimla on Wednesday. “Queries relating to tapping of phones and the intent behind recording the conversations were being asked from the senior cop,” police sources revealed.
A first information report (FIR) relating to the tapping of over 1,300 telephones was registered on June 26 last year. But so far no one has been named in the FIR. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said recently the inquiry into the phone tapping is near completion and the challan (registration) will be filed soon in the court.
Earlier, the vigilance bureau sent a questionnaire to the director general of police D.S. Manhas.”We got the reply. If needed, Mr. Manhas will also be summoned,” said the investigating official, who didn’t wish to be identified.
The present Congress rule has accused the last BJP government of Prem Kumar Dhumal to order tapping certain telephone numbers illegally through the criminal investigation and vigilance departments.
Mr. Dhumal has been denied of such charge, stating that tapping was being done according the rule by empower committee according to the guidelines. Center government had been also set a commission to probe unlawful phone tapping in Himachal Pradesh and Gujrat as Union cabinet order to set a panel to probe such charges and violation of Indian Telegraph Act.
