3 min readShimlaMar 25, 2026 11:12 AM IST
The Himachal Pradesh government Tuesday posted Zahur Haider Zaidi as Inspector General(IG), Police Academy Training and Research, Shimla, a fortnight after the 1994-batch IPS officer gave his joining at the Police Headquarters. The transfer and posting orders for Zaidi along with that of three others IPS officers were issued by Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta.
This is Zaidi’s first posting after the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December last year suspended the life imprisonment awarded to him in connection with the 2017 custodial death of an accused in the Kotkhai gang rape and murder case, while citing the absence of motive and the prolonged period of incarceration already gone. A CBI court in January last year had sentenced Zaidi and seven other police personnel to life imprisonment over the death of Suraj, who was found dead at the Kotkhai police station on July 18, 2017. Suraj had been arrested in the infamous Gudia rape and murder case in Shimla.
After Suraj’s death in custody, the then Himachal Pradesh government had handed over the investigation in both cases to the CBI, which then arrested Zaidi and other policemen in connection with the custodial death. The CBI charge-sheeted the accused police officers for criminal conspiracy, murder, fabrication of false evidence, destruction of evidence, torture in police custody for extracting a confession and preparation of false records.
Zaidi had moved high court seeking the suspension of his sentence, claiming that he was not present at the police station when the alleged custodial death occurred. He said he was on a sanctioned leave at the time to perform the rituals of his deceased father.
The high court found that “certainly accused (Zaidi) was not present in the police station” when the alleged death took place and “there was no motive” for him to have caused the death.
The HC, while “suspending the execution of the sentence of imprisonment” “till the pendency of the appeal”, clarified that the observations made were only for the purpose of deciding the suspension application.
A police officer told The Indian Express that the government had Zaidi’s suspension after high court suspended his sentence.
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Meanwhile, three other IPS officers were also given postings. They include 2021-batch officer Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi who has been posted as DIG, Traffic, Tourist and Railways, Shimla.
Gurdev Chand Sharma (2009 batch), currently serving as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Traffic, Tourist and Railways, Shimla, and holding additional charge of DIG (Law and Order), has now been posted as DIG (Law and Order), Shimla. Amit Yadav (2019 batch), who was also awaiting posting, has been appointed as Commandant of the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn) at Sakoh in Kangra district. He will relieve Superintendent of Police Ashok Ratan, who was holding the additional charge of the post.
