Congress walkout in Himachal over suicide probe

SHIMLA - The opposition Congress Thursday staged a walkout in the Himachal Pradesh assembly, demanding transfer of a case of suicide by an unmarried woman to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as a senior state police official was linked to the crime.

Ritu, 28, who was allegedly in love with Inspector General (Law and Order) Pradeep Kumar Sarpal’s son Sidharth, committed suicide at her residence here Sunday by hanging herself from a ceiling fan.

Subsequently, Sarpal, his wife and his son were booked for abetment to suicide and trying to destroy evidence from the crime scene.

Raising the issue in the assembly, Congress legislator Kaul Singh Thakur said: “Since a high ranking police official is involved in the crime, the inquiry should be handed over to the CBI.”

“Now, the government has handed over the probe to the crime investigation department (CID) and an officer of inspector general (IG) rank is investigating the case. It is strange that one IG is conducting an inquiry against another IG,” he said, raising doubts that the investigation may not be fair.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said: “The CID is conducting the investigations and if required the matter will be investigated by the CBI… nobody will be spared.”

However, Congress legislators were not satisfied with Dhumal’s reply and staged a walkout.

The victim’s relatives alleged that she took the extreme step after the Sarpals refused to let her marry their son. Sidharth, who is a sub-judge in Mandi district, and Ritu were known to each other for 15 years.

As per the first information report, Sarpal, his son and some policemen entered the victim’s house after the suicide and tried to tamper with the evidence. At the time of crime, the victim was alone in her residence.