Gonda SHO among 3 cops suspended after trader's murder in UP

Three police personnel, including a station house officer, have been suspended for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty in connection with the murder of a 45-year-old trader in Gonda, a police officer said on Friday.

Sub-Inspector Kamala Shankar Chaturvedi, station house officer of Paraspur police station, sub-inspector Ankit Singh, in-charge of Shahpur police outpost, and constable Abhimanyu Bharti have been suspended with immediate effect, Superintendent of Police Abhishek said.

The three were found guilty of negligence and laxity in the discharge of their duties, the officer said, adding that a departmental inquiry has been initiated against the trio.

Krishna Gopal Rai, the station house officer of Khondare police station, was appointed as the new SHO of Paraspur police station.

A third accused in the case, identified as Akash Singh, has also been arrested, police said.

The action came after the death of Vinod Kumar Sahani, a resident of Reksadiya village in the Paraspur area who ran a utensils shop in Shahpur market, at a Lucknow hospital on Thursday. He was allegedly assaulted by a group of men on Wednesday evening in Gonda following a dispute over social media posts, officials said.

Police said Sahani was returning home on his motorcycle after closing his shop on Wednesday evening when 10 men, travelling on four motorcycles, intercepted him and allegedly attacked him.

Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Radheshyam Rai on Thursday said the attackers allegedly assaulted Sahani with various weapons, including a spear, leaving him seriously injured. The assailants fled, believing him to be dead, police said.

Sahani was initially taken to a community health centre and later referred to the medical college in Gonda. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Lucknow, where he died during treatment on Thursday.

Police said Sahani had identified three of the attackers, while a case was registered based on Sahani's complaint against 10 named accused, including Shubham Singh alias Golu, Subhash Singh and Akash Singh, under provisions relating to attempt to murder. Following Sahani's death, the murder charge was added to the FIR, Rai said.

"A preliminary investigation has revealed a dispute between the victim and the accused over posts made on social media," the officer said.

Police had earlier arrested two accused -- Shubham Singh alias Golu and Subhash Singh -- while teams have been deployed to arrest the remaining accused.

Vijayalakshmi, the daughter of the deceased, has alleged that after the attack on her father, family members visited the police station and the police outpost, but their grievances went unheard.

The killing led to a protest at the mortuary of the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, where Uttar Pradesh minister and Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad staged a sit-in on Thursday, along with SP backward classes cell state president Rajpal Kashyap.

Nishad, who reached the mortuary after learning about the death, met the victim's family members and assured them of all possible help.

He demanded the dismissal of the Paraspur station house officer, the Shahpur outpost in-charge and other police personnel concerned.

Samajwai Party president Akhilesh Yadav has demanded a high-level impartial probe into Sahani's killing.