WATCH: Haryana Minister Fumes As He Orders Suspension Of Policemen Who Offered Tea To 'Absconding' Accused

The matter came to light after a woman complained during "Janta Darbar", which the 69-year-old minister holds every Saturday to hear people's grievances in Ambala, his home constituency.

New Delhi: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Saturday ordered a suspension of two police personnel after a video emerged of them allegedly serving tea to a man, who is accused of fraud and is said to be absconding, at Pundri police station in Kaithal district. The matter came to light after a woman complained during "Janta Darbar", which the 69-year-old minister holds every Saturday to hear people's grievances in Ambala, his home constituency.

According to an official statement, the woman complainant told the minister that the police were not nabbing the accused in a Rs 25 lakh fraud case. The accused is roaming freely, she alleged. After watching the video, Home Minister Vij pulled up the Kaithal Superintendent of Police. 

A video shared by Ajay Kumar on Twitter shows the woman complaining and soon after an angry Anil Vij speaks to Kaithal Superintendent of Police over the phone. 

Speaking to him over the phone, Vij said, "SP saheb, tea is being served to the accused in the police station and you are saying that the accused is not being found. The criminals are sitting in the police station." Asking him to suspend the policemen immediately, Vij further told the Kaithal SP, "Should I close the police station? How can this happen, SP sir? Will the goons rule the state? I want immediate action."

The Director General of Police P K Agrawal hours later informed the home minister that the accused has been arrested.

In other cases that came to light during the "Janta Darbar", a police official in Panipat was suspended on the charges that he had been demanding bribe from ambulance drivers. The ambulance drivers who came from Panipat complained to Vij alleging that they are being asked to pay Rs 10,000 per ambulance by the city station in charge, Balraj.

Vij then rang up the Panipat SP and directed him to suspend the station in-charge in the matter.

On Saturday, more than 6,000 complainants from all over the state reached the Janata Darbar which was held at the PWD Rest House in Ambala Cantonment.

An Army jawan from Jhajjar complained that the police there have not been able to arrest the accused in the case of rape of his minor sister.

Taking strict cognizance of the matter, Vij called the Jhajjar SP and reprimanded him as to why the accused could not be arrested till now. He gave strict orders to the SP to arrest the accused immediately.

Another Army jawan who came from Hisar told Vij that his brother was beaten up by several youths, but no action has been taken against the accused. The jawan told Vij whether he should fight on the border or with the system.

Taking cognizance of this, Vij told him, "You perform duty on the borders, I will fight for you, and you need not worry."

On the complaint of the jawan, Vij directed the Inspector General of Police of Hisar to investigate the matter by forming an SIT involving police officers from another district.

(With agency inputs)