Haryana health minister Anil Vij and IPS officer Sangeeta Kalia will be in front of each other again in the meetings of district grievances and public relations committee in Panipat, almost two-and-a-half years after Kalia had an argument with Vij during such a meeting in Fatehabad in November 2015.
In Tuesday’s transfers in the Haryana Police, the 2010-batch IPS officer has been appointed superintendent of police (SP), Panipat. Vij is the chairman of district grievances committee, of which the next meeting is scheduled for April 27.
Kalia has been transferred from Rewari to Panipat in place of Rahul Sharma, who has been transferred as SP (security).
Though the lady officer has not joined the office yet, sources said the meeting might be postponed for a few days as the Panipat deputy commissioner Sumedha Kataria will be on leave on April 27 and the meeting was unlikely in her absence. They said the meeting might be called next week.
In November 2015, Vij had left the meeting of the district grievances and public relations committee in Fatehabad after a spat with Kalia, the then SP Fatehabad, as she refused to follow his order to leave the venue following heated exchanges over the alleged illegal sale of liquor in the Fatehabad.
Though Vij had justified his stand, saying that he was getting complaints of drug mafia and liquor mafia being active in the area, but the police had failed to put a check.
However, the officer had refused to leave the meeting and even objected to the minister’s manner. Vij left the meeting himself. A few days later, Kalia was transferred.
But Vij had to face criticism from opposition parties as a video of their spat went viral on the social media.
The district grievances committee meetings chaired by Vij have often remained stormy as he suspended several officials during the meetings he chaired in Yamunanagar, Fatehabad and Panipat districts.
Also, most of the complaints in these meetings come against the police, which lead to action against the cops by the minister. In Fatehabad meeting too, where the minister questioned Kalia, the complaint pertaining to an unauthorised sale of liquor in villages was against the police.
