Four policemen, including two sub-inspectors, were suspended after preliminary probe into the accidental killing of a boy in police firing in Mathura a day before, pointed towards their involvement. A case for culpable homicide was also registered and further investigations are on.
Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said in lucknow on Thursday that on the basis of IG Agra Range, Raja Srivastava’s enquiry, sub-inspector Virendra Singh Yadav posted at Highway police station was suspended for firing. Kumar said that sub-inspector Saurabh Sharma and constables Subash Chandra and Udham Singh were also suspended for dereliction of duty.
The top bureaucrat claimed that Chief Minister’s relief cheque of Rs 5 lakh was handed over to the bereaved family by District Magistrate of Mathura on Thursday, while a magisterial enquiry was also ordered.
A case was also registered in this connection under Section 304 IPC against the erring cops and a Circle Officer was asked to investigate the incident.
On Wednesday evening, MadhavBharadwaj (8) died after being struck by a bullet on the head during what the police claimed was an encounter with gangsters hiding in a village in Highway police station area of Mathura. Till Wednesday night, it was not clear if Madhav was shot with hitby the bullet fired by the police or the criminals.
The police claimed that acting on a tip off, a team went to thevillage to take out the robbers hiding there but the latter started firing. Some reports quoted villagers saying that the police opened fire after asking criminals to gather at a spot, but officials denied it. Ironically, the criminals escaped.
The slain boy’s family said that he was playing with his friends near his home when the bullet hit him after which villagers took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. To save themselves from action, the cops engaged in the ‘encounter’ absconded. Sources said that the autopsy confirmed that the bullet claiming the boy’s life was fired by cops and that the initial probe has pointed that there was no firing from the other side as claimed.
Terming the incident as ‘unfortunate’, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family and ordered IG Agra Range to probe and take necessary action.