KARNAL: The Haryana government late on Thursday ordered a major police reshuffle involving 29 IPS officers and one HPS officer, shunting out Karnal Range Inspector General Ashok Kumar and Superintendent of Police Narender Bijarniya amid escalating public anger over an alleged fake double encounter. According to orders issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sudhir Rajpal, 2006-batch IPS officer Ashwin Shenvi, recently returned from central deputation with the CBI, has been appointed as the new Karnal Range IG. In addition, 2015-batch IPS officer Karan Goel transitions from his post as DCP Gurugram to assume charge as Karnal SP.
The high-level administrative action follows intense public backlash stemming from the August 7 midnight killing of Harsh and Birbal near Goghripur village by local police. Authorities originally claimed the duo was linked to the daylight murder of Veeru Valmiki on August 5, an incident that had sparked protests from the Valmiki community. However, members of the Ror community strongly refuted the police account, labeling the operation a staged encounter and launching demonstrations to demand a high-level probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation alongside strict disciplinary action against responsible officers.
Under the latest transfer orders, former IG Ashok Kumar has been posted to the Police Training College in Sunaria, while former SP Narender Bijarniya will serve as SP, Special Task Force (Headquarters). Community leaders maintain that shifting the administrative leadership represents a necessary step toward ensuring an impartial investigation into the killings. Officials affirmed that senior appointments aim to restore public confidence and maintain law and order across the district.
