New Delhi, January 05: It took over 24 years for the Centre and the Haryana Government to de-list the tainted former director- general of police S P S Rathore from ”the roll of honour.”
A committee of the Union Home Ministry on Monday decided to take back Rathore’s police medal, awarded to him for meritorious service in August, 1985. The issue was taken up by the medals committee of the Home Ministry headed by Home Secretary G K Pillai. The recommendation to take back the former IPS officer’s medal has been sent to President Pratibha Patil.
Curiously, on June 5, 1998, Rathore was suspended by the Bansi Lal government in connection with a parole case. He was also facing charges in the Ruchika molestation case then. However, he was not divested of the medal.
Questions are raised as to why the state and the Centre reacted so late. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had last week said: “He (Rathore) has been convicted so we have reacted.”
He, however, denied that the Centre had any role in awarding the medal to the convicted police officer.
Rathore was convicted last month for molesting Ruchika Girhotra in 1990 and was sentenced to six months’ jail. He was also fined Rs 1,000.
The consolidation of public indignation in urban metropolises has forced the government to sit up and take note of the case which was not cracked for the last 19 years.
-Agencies