http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070912/punjab1.htm#1
Chandigarh, September 11
Arrested DGP S.S. Virk today opened his heart out on the issue of "cats", militant-turned informers, while challenging the Punjab government to "show guts" and probe the other police officers who adopted similar means. Indirectly, he named a few informers and went on to explain the alleged land deals, the timing of his arrest and the behaviour of the arresting party.
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The Tribune managed to speak to Virk despite a ring of policemen around him. Virk claimed that the entire case against him was fabricated and said, "I am paying the price of not being a turncoat as several other officers did and sided with SAD in the run-up to the elections."
On keeping "cats", Virk said, "Whatever I did was in line with my duty. I was a middle-level official and part of the system fighting militants while the policies were made by the seniors." All officers during those times had their own sets of "cats", claimed Virk while asking the government to find the real identity of police inspector Gurmit Pinki. Also, who got him recruited in the police. But Virk stopped short of naming any more persons, saying that he would never reveal the names of militants who turned informers or were rehabilitated.
"Cats are a reality and cannot be written off now, but action is not being taken against all officers, why me alone?" said Virk.
He alleged, "Sumedh Singh Saini is an erratic chap and now he has exposed the national strategy to fight terror. Just to harm me, Saini is exposing the very people who helped the police fight terrorism."
However, Virk said his arrest was not possible without the consent of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Virk alleged that Saini held a personal grudge against him saying "differences had cropped up between us after Saini arrested journalist Gautam Dheer in a case". The media had reacted sharply and Dheer had to be freed while the investigation was taken away from Saini.
Not colony, but cooperative society
On the case of colonisation against him, Virk said it was not colonisation, but a cooperative society in which more than 50 IPS and IAS officers are members. Since owning a house in Chandigarh was impossible, a piece of land was purchased in Dera Bassi. Virk alleged, "Among the initiators of the project was Surinder Pal Singh, now SSP Vigilance, and the investigating officer (IO) in my case."
He said his property shown in Kasauli could be taken by the government as "it is not mine" and added that he had informed the government of all other purchases.
"But why not check, did all officers inform the government of the purchases they made?" he asked
Virk claimed that his arrest had been timed to scuttle a move of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to re-instate him. The Punjab police was keeping tabs on the developments and ensured that the arrest was made before the MHA could issue the orders.
On reports in a section of the media that SSP Vigilance, Patiala, Shiv Kumar, has shown some disrespect to him, Virk said, "It is incorrect. All men have been addressing me with due respect and nobody, including Shiv Kumar, had show an iota of disrespect at any point of time."
Meanwhile, sources said Shiv Kumar had an exchange of words with former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh when he went to the PGI yesterday, chiding him that Virk did not even heed the words of the former CM during his tenure. A source said Shiv Kumar even reminded the former CM how Virk had tuned down specific requests sent by Amarinder Singh. The latter retaliated by saying that he did not want to enter into an argument.
Shiv Kumar then went on to remind Amarinder Singh that the police only obeyed the orders of the incumbent Chief Minister and claimed that it he who arrested former chief of the Punjab Public Service Commission Ravi Sidhu at the orders of Amarinder.
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