Haryana minister yells at woman police officer

Chandigarh: Haryana Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij on Friday shouted at a senior woman police officer and ordered her to "get out" of a meeting in Fatehabad town.

She refused, and the minister left in a huff.

The outburst came after both were locked in an argument over liquor smuggling.

Vij stormed out of the meeting after Fatehabad district police chief Sangeeta Kalia, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer whom he ordered to "get out", refused to do so.

Kalia is the Superintendent of Police in Fatehabad, 225 km from here.

The woman officer, who was seated next to the infuriated minister, stood her ground and refused to go out. She was heard saying: "I will not go out. You cannot insult me like this."

The minister, who was attending a public grievances' committee meeting of which he is the chairman, got upset when he asked the woman officer what she was doing to curb smuggling of liquor in areas bordering Punjab.

"We are taking action. We have registered over 2,500 cases. Many of these people come out on bail and indulge in smuggling again," Kalia told the minister.

However, the minister kept arguing with her demanding to know why she was not taking more action. He appeared to suggest that she was responsible for the action not being taken.

The officer objected to this. Vij then asked her to leave the meeting.

Deputy Commissioner NK Solanki and other district officers were present at the meeting but did not intervene.

Vij left the meeting in disgust and later said he would not come to Fatehabad as long as the woman officer was stationed there.

"I will not come here again as long as she is the SP here. I will complain to the chief minister. I had taken up the matter with her two-three times but her approach was very casual," Vij told the media.

Deputy Commissioner Solanki followed the minister till his car and tried to stop Vij from leaving but the minister was adamant and left.