Tapping fallout: Bhandari out, Kumar new DGP

In what is being seen as a fallout of the Forensic Science lab report on telephone tapping, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Monday appointed B.Kamal Kumar, Director General, Home Guards and Fire services as new Director General of Police replacing I D Bhandari.

A screening committee on appointments, headed by Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy, had approved the name Kumar, a 1982-batch IPS officer for the top post. Kumar, who is of the same batch as Bhandari, and will retire in five months time. Bhandari, as per the orders will replace Kamal Kumar as DGP (Home guards and Fire services).

The replacement of the DGP is the first major action taken by the Congress government after its return to power as Bhandari had been heading the state CID's wing during the period when the alleged phone tapping took place during the previous BJP regime.

Bhandari has been under focus for quite sometime as on return to power, Virbhadra first relieved him of the CID charge - it was first given to Kamal Kumar and later to Additional DGP S R Mardi.

The outgoing DGP had been claiming that the tapping was done under legal provisions after adopting proper procedure. However, the expert committee report did not endorse him.

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