Arora was asked to pay Rs 6 lakh penal rent for overstay

GURGAON: The rift between police commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk and joint commissioner Bharti Arora came out in public on Tuesday when TOI reported the story. However, the tension between the two IPS officers dates back to August 2014 when Arora was transferred to Faridabad but continued staying in her official bungalow in Gurgaon. JCP Arora lives in a government bungalow next to the Police Officer's Apartments in block C1 of Sushant Lok. According to sources, the bungalow was originally allotted to Arora and her husband Vikas Arora, also an IPS officer, who was posted in Gurgaon as DCP (east) till June 2011. As DCP (traffic), Bharti Arora continued living there after her husband's transfer.The problem began in August 2014 when Bharti Arora was transferred to Faridabad as JCP (headquarters). According to sources, an officer can't occupy an accommodation for more than two months after the transfer. Arora, however, preferred to live in Gurgaon even when her office was in Faridabad. "Police commissioner Virk didn't like the fact that Arora was not vacating the Gurgaon bungalow even after her transfer," said a source close to developments.Within six months, in February 2015, Bharti Arora sought a transfer back to Gurgaon as joint commissioner of police (traffic). Soon after her return, Arora was asked to pay a penal rent of Rs 6,45,658 for the period during which she was posted in Faridabad. Penal Rent includes house rent allowance of an officer along with penalty fee for overstaying in official accommodation.Sources said that ever since this notice was served, Virk and Arora have had a sour relationship. When asked, police commissioner Virk confirmed that a penal rent notice was served to Arora.However, Bharti Arora said, "This matter is now being made public to divert attention from the main issue. If I have had a problem about penal rent, I would not have sought a transfer back to Gurgaon."