Shimla: After months of controversy surrounding samosas meant for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, which were instead served to his security staff at an event at the CID headquarters, local police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown individuals. The charges include theft, forgery, public mischief, and criminal conspiracy related to the alleged leaking of information and documents from the CID Department.

FIR over CID leak

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The Superintendent of Police, in a complaint, stated that confidential information and documents from the CID had been unlawfully leaked and were being misused to tarnish the reputation of both the CID and the government. Based on this complaint, the FIR was registered at the police station in Chotta Shimla under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) of 2023.

Opposition citicises government

Responding to the controversy that attracted nationwide media attention, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur criticised the government, calling it "directionless, chaotic, and dictatorial."

"The police department has created a ruckus because the Chief Minister could not get a samosa. The resources and energy of the government were wasted in investigating who ate the samosa, and now the resources are being wasted in finding out who leaked the state CID samosa scandal or who reported it in the media and why?" Thakur said in a statement.

Allegations of media suppression

Thakur further alleged that the FIR was a "ridiculous" move and part of a "planned conspiracy" by the government. He also claimed that Section 353(2) in the FIR was intended to restrict media freedom.

"This FIR is an attack on media freedom. By using this, the government wants to send a message to the media that it will not spare anyone who writes about their failures. Till now, the government has lodged more than two dozen FIRs against media personnel as well as the common man for writing against the government. Now the government has brought the samosa incident into the limelight to collectively target media personnel and the common man," he asserted.

Thakur emphasised that freedom of expression is a fundamental right granted by the Constitution, which he accused the Sukhu government of attempting to suppress.

"On this dictatorial tactic of the Congress government, the party and its leader Rahul Gandhi, who is pretending to save the Constitution, should also answer how the government of his ruling party can violate the fundamental rights of the people," he stated.

Thakur also called on the Chief Minister to clarify the nature of the alleged leaked information.

"The FIR states that sensitive matters are repeatedly leaked to the media. The Chief Minister should clarify how many such matters have already been leaked to the media and what threats they pose to the sovereignty and internal security of the state. He should also explain what kind of secrecy exists in the investigation of who ate his samosas and how it relates to public interest," he added.

Legal charges in the FIR

The FIR has been lodged under the following sections of the BNS:

  • Section 59 – Public servant concealing design to commit an offence which it is his duty to prevent.
  • Section 60 – Concealing plans to commit a crime.
  • Section 61 – Criminal conspiracy.
  • Section 305 – Theft of government property.
  • Section 336(4) – Forgery with the intent to harm someone’s reputation.
  • Section 353(2) – Punishing individuals who make, publish, or circulate false information, rumours, or statements.

IANS