Five police personnel suspended after man is stabbed, dragged to death in Noida

Locals claimed that the bikers dragged Hasan inside the Baraula police outpost, but police refuted those claims

The station house officer of Sector 49 police station and four other police personnel, including a woman constable, were suspended on Tuesday for negligence of duty following the murder of a 50-year-old man, who was stabbed multiple times and dragged for two kilometres by two bikers in Noida’s Baraula locality on Saturday night, said senior police officers.

Police personnel outside the house of slain Mehdi Hasan in Barola village in Sector 49, Noida. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“The initial probe following the murder on Saturday night found five police personnel negligent in discharging their duty, and have been suspended. This includes the Sector 49 police station in-charge and Baraula police post in-charge,” said deputy commissioner of police, Noida, Harish Chander.

The five who have been suspended are inspector Ram Prakash Gautam, sub inspector Nitin Jwala, woman constable Sonu Yadav, beat constable Manish Kumar and constable Amit (goes by a single name).

Inspector Anuj Kumar Saini, who was posted at the Sector 20 cyber desk, replaced Sector 49 SHO Gautam, senior officers said.

Saturday’s gruesome murder shocked the locality, as the incident was captured by several CCTV cameras and their footage was widely circulated on social media.

The deceased, identified as Mehndi Hasan, an e-rickshaw driver, was stabbed multiple times by two suspects -- Anuj Kumar and Nitin Besla -- who then dragged his body through Baraula village after tying it to their motorcycle, before leaving him motionless outside the local police post.

Police said the motive for the murder was a six-year-old rivalry that started after Hasan allegedly assaulted Anuj’s father, Vinod, and was booked on charges of attempt to murder.

Locals claimed that the bikers dragged Hasan inside the Baraula police outpost, but police refuted those claims. Later on Sunday early morning, the murder suspects were arrested by the police.