The Uttar Pradesh government has finally responded. Two senior police officials were suspended on Wednesday for their inaction in the case of the serial killing of children of Nithari village in Noida. They were Piyush Mordia, former senior superintendent of police, Gatuam Budh Nagar district — of which Noida forms a part — and the present Additional Superintendent of Police Saumtira Yadav.
Circle officer Sewak Ram Yadav — who was posted in the area from October 27, 2003 to July 8, 2006 — was also suspended. Six sub-inspectors who were suspended earlier were dismissed from service.
The decision was taken after the two-member committee — comprising Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Arun Kumar Sinha and Additional Director General of Police AC Sharma — formed by the state government to probe police negligence in the Nithari episode, submitted its report.
Nithari villagers have maintained that 38 children went missing in the past two years, but the police registered only 19 complaints. Some said they had suspected the two accused, Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surender Koli long ago, but the police took no action against them.
The police will now decide whether there should be criminal proceedings against the officers. “Criminal proceedings cannot be ruled out. A decision on this will be taken only after further investigation into their role,” said Bua Singh, director general of police of UP, told Hindustan Times over the telephone from Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}The police will now decide whether there should be criminal proceedings against the officers. “Criminal proceedings cannot be ruled out. A decision on this will be taken only after further investigation into their role,” said Bua Singh, director general of police of UP, told Hindustan Times over the telephone from Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}The Centre also ordered an inquiry into "all aspects” of the case on Wednesday. Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury said the panel would try to find out what went wrong and who was to be blamed.