Himachal High Court Orders Transfer of Three Kullu Officials
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the transfer of the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, and Subdivisional Magistrate, stating that they failed to maintain public order and instead facilitated the organization of large-scale rave parties in Parvati Valley. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi directed the state government to transfer the officials within a week and initiate departmental proceedings against them. The order was pronounced on June 24, with the detailed copy released on Saturday.
Court Orders FIR and SIT Investigation
The Bench further ordered the registration of an FIR and the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) to probe the matter. The SIT will also handle departmental proceedings against the three officers. The case pertains to a public interest litigation (PIL) on raves and drug abuse in Kullu and Mandi districts.
Details of the Rave Event
The event was organized at Green Forest-I and Green Forest-II in Grahan near Kasol from June 7 to 11, for which tickets were sold. According to a report submitted by the District Legal Services Authority, two tourists were arrested with cocaine and LSD, and a Russian national, Caria Kuzminykh, who was performing as a DJ at the event, died due to a suspected drug overdose. A postmortem was recommended.
Prior Warnings Ignored
The High Court observed that the officials failed to maintain public order despite prior warnings from the police about the possibility of drug consumption, trafficking, and other unlawful activities. The court noted that the officials instead facilitated the organization of large-scale rave parties, allowing illegal activities to occur.
