A major administrative blunder involving soft drinks for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has turned into a political controversy, prompting a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which termed the incident as an “anti-government” act.

The incident took place on October 21 during the Chief Minister’s visit to the CID headquarters. According to the CID report, the intended samosas and cakes were mistakenly served to Sukhu’s security personnel instead of the Chief Minister himself, raising questions about internal communication and adherence to protocol.

An official memo by a senior CID officer suggested that those involved were acting according to their “own agenda”, undermining government authority.

The incident drew criticism from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the Congress-led state government of neglecting development priorities in favor of trivial matters, coining the phrase “Chief Minister’s Samosa” to highlight their criticism.

The confusion started when cases of soft drinks were carried from the Radisson Blue Hotel in Lakkar Bazaar for the Chief Minister’s function. Protocol dictated that an IG-rank police officer coordinate the refreshments, leading to a series of communications that ultimately resulted in food being mistakenly served to security personnel.

An inquiry by a Deputy SP revealed that while the police were tasked with bringing refreshments, they were misinformed by the tourism department staff who claimed that the items were not meant for the Chief Minister. Only the sub-inspector who initiated the order knew the intended recipient.

Amid rising political tensions, BJP spokesperson Randhir Sharma remarked, “The state government is not concerned with the development of the state and its only concern seems to be ‘Chief Minister’s Samosa’. This incident highlights significant problems of coordination within the government, particularly in relation to events involving a key figure such as the Chief Minister.”