Two policemen suspended for inaction

LUCKNOW - Two police officers in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district were suspended Tuesday for failing to provide security to a newly-elected village head’s husband, who was killed last week, an official said.

A Station House Officer (SHO) and an in-charge of police outpost were suspended Tuesday for not making necessary security arrangements for Ram Kumar Yadav, who was allegedly killed by Chandra Bhadra Singh alias Sonu — a legislator of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government.

Singh, who represents Isauli assembly seat in Sultanpur, and his brother Monu Singh, have been booked in connection with the murder. The two are yet to be arrested.

Apprehending danger from the BSP legislator and his supporters, Yadav’s wife Kamala Devi, the head of Majhwara village, some 150 km from Lucknow, had sought police security at the time she was contesting the panchayat elections.

Yadav, who was posted as revenue official in Bhikapur of the adjoining Faizabad district, first went missing while returning from panchayat poll duty Oct 25. His mutilated body was found Oct 26 morning near a canal in the neighbouring Dakhinwara village in Sultanpur.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that Hariharan Nath Mishra (SHO Kudebhar police station) and Indrajeet Singh (in-charge of Dhanpatganj police outpost) did not take any serious steps on the woman’s complaint,” Superintendent of Police A.K. Raghav told reporters Tuesday in Sultanpur.