Raipur: Taking a strong action, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday said the official, who issued a notice to the family of martyred Special Police Officer (SPO) Kishore Pandey for return of Rs 10,000 spent on his funeral, has been suspended.
The official who sent the letter has been suspended. I have spoken to the Chief Secretary and a notice has also been issued. We will investigate the matter thoroughly,” Singh said. Extending full support to the family of the bereaved, he said, “We should focus more on giving relaxation to families who have lost their loved ones rather than sending letters.”
Earlier in the day, reports said the Chhattisgarh Police withdrew the order to return the amount in the wake of angry reactions in the media. In a shocking case of apathy towards a fallen soldier, the Chhattisgarh Police had sent two notices to Pandey’s family in this regard – first on June 08, 2014 and the second on April 12, 2015.
The money used for Pandey’s last rites was given from a welfare fund. Pandey was killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh on May 23, 2011. Reacting to the incident, former Army chief and Minister of State for External Affairs General (retired) VK Singh said it could be a “clerical mistake”.
“The amount given to the family was part of a welfare fund created by the district police personnel who annually contribute to it as per their ranks. The objective is to immediately offer money during a crisis and emergency. The amount has to be returned later,” Abhishek Pathak, Gariaband’s superintendent of police, told Hindustan Times. Pathak said the issue had been pending since 2011 as Pandey’s mother been given financial aid worth Rs 5 lakh by the state government.
Police officials even said they believed nothing wrong had been done by serving the notices since the amount given to Pandey’s family was actually the contribution of police personnel. Since 2011, Chhattisgarh has registered the highest casualties in operations against Maoists. A total of 235 security forces personnel have died in the state fighting rebels.
Bureau report
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