Shimla, May 26 (Reporter) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has voiced reservations over the Himachal Pradesh High Court's observation that no IPS officer from the state should be involved in the CBI probe into the mysterious death of HPPCL engineer Vimal Negi. Responding to the High Court’s May 23 directive transferring the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Chief Minister stated, “I do not agree with the comment by Justice Sahib that there should be no officer from Himachal. If that is the yardstick, then it is also a question how many judges in the Himachal Pradesh High Court are from the state. Such remarks raise unnecessary questions and should be avoided.” The High Court, while accepting the plea of Vimal Negi’s wife for a CBI investigation, had reportedly stated that no IPS officer from Himachal Pradesh should be part of the CBI team to maintain impartiality in the probe. The remark has now triggered a political and institutional storm, drawing in top officials, judges, and even the Governor. The CM's statement comes amid an unprecedented face-off between Director General of Police Atul Verma and Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi. Gandhi, who led the SIT in the Negi case, has accused the DGP office of obstructing sensitive investigation, including those into drug cartels and alleged corruption in police recruitment. He even alleged that members of the DGP’s personal staff had links to a notorious drug peddling gang. Further raising the pitch, Gandhi recently mentioned that Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla had commented on a legal matter involving Brahmo Samaj, indirectly drawing the Raj Bhavan into the ongoing controversy. While the Chief Minister feigned ignorance over having received any formal complaint from the DGP against Gandhi, sources confirm that service records of the SP have been summoned. Sukhu, who also holds the Home portfolio, is expected to intervene and defuse the infighting that threatens the credibility of law enforcement in the state...////...