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ए.एस.आई. पंकज को सी.बी.आई. हिरासत में लेगी या गवाह बनायेगी?

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Created on Sunday, 22 June 2025 06:41

Written by Shail Samachar

• डी.जी.पी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट से उठी चर्चा
• ए.एस.आई. पंकज किसी भी एस.आई.टी. का सदस्य न होते हुए नेगी के शव के पास पहुंचने वाला पहला पुलिसकर्मी कैसे बना?

शिमला/शैल। क्या सी.बी.आई. स्व. विमल नेगी मौत प्रकरण मामले की जांच में ए.एस.आई पंकज को हिरासत में लेगी या पंकज सी.बी.आई. का गवाह बनेगा? यह सवाल इसलिये उठ रहा है की ए.एस.आई. पंकज नेगी प्रकरण की जांच के लिये प्रदेश पुलिस द्वारा गठित दोनों एस.आई.टी. में से एक का भी हिस्सा नहीं रहा है। किसी भी एस.आई.टी. टीम का सदस्य न होते हुए भी वह स्व. नेगी के शव के पास पहुंचने वाला व्यक्ति है। यह खुलासा डी.जी.पी. द्वारा प्रदेश उच्च न्यायालय में दायर की गयी स्टेटस रिपोर्ट में दर्ज है। वैसे एस.पी. शिमला द्वारा दायर एस.आई.टी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट में भी इस संद्धर्भ में किसी के भी नाम का जिक्र नहीं है। डी.जी.पी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट में यह भी दर्ज है कि ए.एस.आई. पंकज और मछुआरे शव के पास थाना शाहतलाई की टीम से पहले ही पहुंचे हुए थे। ए.एस.आई. पंकज ने ही स्व. विमल नेगी का पैन ड्राइव फारमैट किया और यह करने को लेकर वह किसी से बातचीत भी कर रहा था यह सारा विवरण डी.जी.पी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट में दर्ज है। डी.जी.पी. एस.पी. शिमला और अतिरिक्त मुख्य सचिव गृह की प्रशासनिक रिपोर्ट सब कुछ उच्च न्यायालय के रिकॉर्ड पर है।
अदालत के रिकॉर्ड पर आयी सारी रिपोर्ट स्वभाविक रूप से सी.बी.आई. के लिये इस मामले में आगे बढ़ने का मुख्य आधार होंगे। इस जांच में सी.बी.आई. संवद्ध पुलिस कर्मियों/अधिकारियों से भी संवाद करेंगी यह तय माना जा रहा है। इस मामले में ए.एस.आई. पंकज एक मुख्य आधार सूत्र बनता जा रहा है। क्योंकि वही शव के पास पहुंचने वाला पुलिस कर्मी है वही पेन ड्राइव को फारमैट कर रहा है और इसी सद्धर्भ में किसी से बातचीत भी कर रहा है। बिना किसी एस.आई.टीम का सदस्य होने के वह किसके निर्देश पर शव के पास पहुंचा और किसके निर्देश पर पेन ड्राइव को फारमैट किया यह सब इस प्रकरण के मुख्य बिन्दु बन चुके हैं। इन पर जानकारी केवल पंकज से ही मिल सकती है। यह माना जा रहा है कि संद्धर्भ में पंकज सी.बी.आई. का गवाह भी बन सकता है। यदि पंकज गवाह नहीं बनता है तो सी.बी.आई. को उससे पूछताछ करने के लिये उसे हिरासत में लेकर ही पूछताछ करने का विकल्प शेष बचता है। पूरे प्रदेश की इस पर निगाहें लगी हुई हैं।
ए.एस.आई. पंकज डी.जी.पी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट से चर्चा के केंद्र में आया है। इसलिये डी.जी.पी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट पर एक व्यापक चर्चा उठाया जाना आवश्यक हो जाता है। एस.पी. गांधी ने अपनी एल.पी.ए. में डी.जी.पी. की स्टेटस रिपोर्ट पर एतराज उठाये हैं लेकिन इन ऐतराज़ के बावजूद उच्च न्यायालय ने डी.जी.पी. की रिपोर्ट को खारिज नहीं किया है और इसी कारण से वह सारी जांच का मुख्य आधार बन जाती है।

यह है डी.जी.पी. की रिपोर्ट में उठाये गये सवाल

h. On the basis of documents that have been reluctantly provided by SP Shimla and (many important documents such as Sh. Vimal Negi diaries and the actual case diaries as distinct from summary were not provided), I have some comments on the conduct of investigation done by the SIT under the overall supervision of Sh. Sanjeev Gandhi, Superintendent of Police, Distt. Shimla.
1. Why was the Pen Drive formatted (as per SFSL report)? and how many people knew that Pen Drive had been recovered from the dead body way back on 18th march itself? These questions need to be answered as it casts doubt on the integrity of the investigation carried out so far. Who was ASI Pankaj speaking to regarding Pen Drive after it was recovered from the dead body of Shri Vimal Negi? During the discussion with 02 SIT members on discussion 14.05.2025, it was verbally told to me that it could be SHO Sadar Shimla, Dy. SP Amit and MHC PS Sadar Shimla. There was no clarity on why it was not clear whom these three officers were in turn speaking to when CDR/IPDR of the above three officers could have revealed. These are very basic and intuitive next steps of investigation. The fact that this conversation of ASI Pankaj was also recorded in a mobile phone of a bystander fisherman, should have enabled the SIT to time stamp this conversation of ASI Pankaj and thereafter investigate the chain of people on the whothose persons (whom ASI Pankaj spoke with) spoke to in turn.
2. I have serious concerns with 02 SIT members refusal/inability to show Vimal Negi diaries on 14.05.2025 when they met me. They abruptly said after lunch that they had to go to prepare the case summary etc. relating to bail matter of Shri Harikesh Meena in this case (Annexure-XII). It seems to be an afterthought, as it is difficult to imagine that they did not know in the morning that the date of this bail matter in the court is next day. It is to be noted that the 02 members of SIT after a lot of resistance from SP Shimla had come with suitcases and trunk full of documents and gave me only two to three hours to examine them and have since not returned till the writing of this report. Also, CCTNS record available electronically to superior officers were not found to be updated.
3. It is also important to note that a nonmember of SIT formed by me (Annexure-XIII) to trace then missing Shri Vimal Negi was sent to handle formalities after sighting of dead body of Shri Vimal Negi in Bilaspur was reported. It is noteworthy that the past reputation of this person, ASI Pankaj is not the best as he has been involved in case FIR No. 63/2015 u/s 307, 324, 34 IPC and 25, 27, 54/59 of Arms Act registered at PS Sadar Shimla to an alleged firing incident involving his service pistol and put in OUSP (Officer Undesirable for Sensitive Posts) list as a result of gravity of the allegations. He has been reportedly acquitted.
4. Also notable is the fact that Inspector Manoj who has written case diary No.26 of 13.04.2025 regarding seizing of phone of fisherman Sunil Kumar which had video recording of ASI Pankaj Kumar talking to someone regarding recovery of Pen Drive from the body of the deceased (as told by SIT members) and who recorded statement about these and Dy. SP Vikram Chauhan who recorded statement of Shri Naveen Kumar, Shri Ashwani, Shri Naman Mishra, Shri Manoj Kumar who were present at the site where the dead body of Shri Vimal Negi was recovered as per CD No. 25 dated 11.04.2025, went on relatively long leave in the middle of the investigation immediately after they were involved in recording statements regarding sighting of Pen Drive along with dead body of Shri Vimal Negi. The summary of case diary No.24 submitted to me by 02 SIT members on 14.05.2025 does not have details of the statement and was not shown to me after lunch when requested. Going by the fact that these 04 people who gave statements and were present at the site of recovery of dead body of Shri Vimal Negi, the statements may contain regarding sighting of Pen Drive. The long leave of Dy. SP Vikram Chauhan and Inspector Manoj Kumar at this juncture of investigation have been noted by me.
5. It is not clear whether and when was action taken against ASI Pankaj despite a 13.04.2025 CD (Case Diary No. 26) showing that he kept the pen drive with him after recovery on 18.03.2025 and surrendered it only after multiple witnesses’ statements. Even though, RFSL report has come on around 9th May there was enough evidence of misconduct in mid-April itself.
6. There are unanswered questions as to how 4000 plus files (not pages) were examined by a single ASI and decision taken to format within 3 days. Were there more people who were assisting him in his job and if so, who are they? As discussed above, there were chats about keeping copy and then deleting (in a phone reported by SFSL). Where is this copy?
Efforts must be made to retrieve it A belated move to possibly add section 238 of BNS for destruction of evidence only against ASI Pankaj may not be enough.
7. Question also arises as to whether all documents have been retrieved from the formatted pen drive using the forensic tools available with SFSL, Junga. I am in receipt of a letter from DIG, SR wherein she has mentioned about three cases in which case materials were sent to CFSL and they recovered more data than what was recovered by SFSL, Junga (Annexure-XIV). In any case, some files in its pen drive were found to be ‘Corrupted’.
8. Superintendent of Police, Bilaspur has also sent a letter (Annexure-XV) in which he has mentioned regarding recovery of dead body of Shri Vimal Negi in the presence of boatmen, who spotted the dead body and has commented that the initial search of deceased Shri Vimal Negi was conducted by either ASI Paknaj or Fisherman Sunil Kumar on the direction of ASI Pankaj prior to the arrival of police station team, PS Talai,. He has further written that Inspector Manoj Kumar, SHO, PS, New Shimla seized a mobile phone and disclosed-over phone that ASI Pankaj has produced 1 pen drive that was recovered from the dead body of deceased Sh. Vimal Negi. SP Bilaspur has conducted a fact-finding enquiry regarding recovery of a pen drive from the dead body of deceased Sh.Vimal Negi after social media/news circulation of an article published on 20.04.2025. The promptness of SP Bilaspur is in sharp contrast to the efforts made by SP Shimla.
9. I have noted with concern that whereas 2 personal diaries of deceased Sh. Vimal Negi were seized on 22.03.2025 (CD No. 04 from summary of CDs) and some of his other material including laptop were recovered in March itself, mobile phone of Sh. Desh Raj was seized on 07.04.2025 (CD No. 20 in summary of CDs) and of Sh. Harikesh Meena IAS on 23.04.2025 (CD no. 36 A in summary of CDs) after Sh. Meena had been interrogated many times by the SIT.
CONCLUSION: It can be safely concluded that it has been a questionable investigation till now and influence/attempted influence of SP Shimla who has been posted for more than 2 years in this post seems to extend beyond his domain. His influence, his ability to block report preparation by the DGP, HP despite 12.73 Crore. However, this is a matter which would need further deliberation after the audit Para has been replied to by the department and whether the Auditor General office is satisfied with it or not.
4. That the aforesaid status report may please be taken on record in compliance with the directions issued by this Hon’ble Court vide order dated 22.04.2025 and pass appropriate orders as deemed fit in the interest of justice and fair play.”