Munish Sood
MANDI:
In a pointed response to a question related to the Chief Engineer Vimal Negi *death case, senior Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Negi said, “Why are you asking me this? You should direct this question to the CBI. They are handling the investigation now.”
Jagat Singh alleged that the BJP had deliberately pushed for a CBI probe to show the “good-performing Himachal government in bad light”. He claimed that the state government had acted swiftly and responsibly when the matter first surfaced.
Says govt ordered suspensions, formed SIT and high-powered committee
Detailing the state’s response, Jagat Negi said that all officials initially suspected to be involved were suspended without delay. Following that, a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted, and later, a high-powered committee was set up to ensure transparency and thorough investigation.
“Despite all these steps, the BJP insisted on a CBI probe, and now that the CBI is in charge, people should ask them what progress they have made,” he said. “Why haven’t they reached the officers whose roles are under suspicion? Why haven’t they investigated the circumstances that pushed Vimal Negi to such an extreme step?”
Officers reinstated under legal boundaries, no promotions given
Addressing criticism regarding the reinstatement of suspended officers, Jagat Negi clarified that suspension could not be extended indefinitely as government officials had constitutional protections.
“We were legally bound to reinstate the officers after a certain period,” he said. “But let me be clear — none of them were promoted. In fact, it was a demotion. The officer who earlier held the position of Managing Director was brought back as Secretary, and the one who was Director is now serving as Chief Engineer.”
Jagat Negi reiterated that the reinstated officers had not been rewarded in any manner and returned only under procedural compulsion.
