Former DGP tries to enter HP without curfew pass; stopped by police

A former Punjab director general of police (DGP) was stopped at the Himachal Pradesh border in the early hours of Thursday after he tried to enter the hill state without a curfew pass amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown, police said.

Sumedh Singh Saini, who was along with two other persons in a car, tried to enter Himachal Pradesh through the Khaira Mora check post at 4 am, but he was not allowed, Bilaspur Superintendent of Police (SP) Devakar Sharma said.

Former DGP Saini and the others were in a car with registration number CH-01-BW 0820 and they were coming from the Punjab side of the border, the officer said.

Sharma said the two other persons accompanying the former DGP identified themselves as an inspector and an assistant sub-inspector to the personnel at the check post on the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border near Swarghat in Bilaspur district.

On their insistence, the staff called the Naina Devi deputy superintendent of police who in turn called me and I directed him not to allow their entry into the hill state without a curfew pass, he said.

Sharma said the former DGP called him after about half-an-hour insisting entry into Himahcal Pradesh stating that he had a property at Karsog in Mandi district.

Saini was refused entry without a curfew pass, the SP said.