Samosas served to CM's staff instead of Sukhu: CID probe calls act 'anti govt'

Due to a lack of coordination, three boxes of samosas and cakes were brought from Hotel Radisson Blue in Lakkar Bazaar to be served to the CM who had gone to the CID HQ for a function on October 21. However, the eatables were served to the CM's security staff.

Shimla: A matter of refreshments getting served to the staff of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu instead of the chief minister by mistake has assumed disproportionate dimensions following a CID probe that termed the goof up an "anti-government" act.

Due to a lack of coordination, three boxes of samosas and cakes were brought from Hotel Radisson Blue in Lakkar Bazaar to be served to the chief minister who had gone to the CID headquarters for a function on October 21. However, the eatables were served to the CM security staff, according to the enquiry report conducted by a deputy SP rank officer.

The report stated that an officer of IG rank had asked a sub-inspector (SI) of police to get some eatables from the hotel for the CM's visit. The SI in turn directed an assistant SI (ASI) and a head constable to bring the refreshments.

The ASI and the head constable fetched the refreshments from the hotel in three sealed boxes and informed the SI.

The police officers in their statement said when they asked the tourism department staff on duty whether the snacks in the three boxes were to be served to the chief minister, they said they were not included in the menu.

The enquiry report said only the said SI, who deputed the ASI and the head constable with the task of getting the snacks from the hotel, was aware of the fact that the three boxes were for Sukhu.

The lady inspector, to whom the food items were handed over, did not ask any senior officer and sent the refreshments to the mechanical transport (MT) section which deals with refreshments.

The three boxes of refreshments exchanged several hands in the process.

Interestingly, a highly placed official in the CID department wrote in his noting that all persons named in the enquiry report have acted in anti-CID and anti-government manner due to which the items could not be served to the VVIPs.

They acted according to their own agenda, the note added.