A total of 11 police personnel from Rohini district, who were deployed in PCR vans and at police pickets along the route where Anjali Singh’s hit-and-run incident took place, have been suspended and disciplinary action has been initiated against them.
DCP Guriqbal Singh Sidhu said that five policemen on two pickets and six personnel in three PCR vans have been suspended in the Rohini district. Of them, two are sub-inspectors, four assistant sub-inspectors, four head constables, and one constable.
Officials said further action will be taken against them based on the results of the internal disciplinary proceedings. “As approved by the competent authority, a total of 11 policemen of Rohini district deployed on the route at PCRs and pickets have been suspended in view of the Sultanpuri incident,” officials said.
The action comes a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday directed the Delhi police commissioner to suspend all its personnel deployed on the route following a report on the accident submitted by an inquiry committee headed by special commissioner of police Shalini Singh.
The brutal death of Anjali, a 20-year-old sole breadwinner of a family of five, in the wee hours of January 1, 2023, shocked the nation. Her scooter was hit by a Baleno car that was being driven by five drunk men and she got caught underneath the four-wheeler vehicle and dragged for 12 km. Seven people have been arrested in connection with the accident.
The MHA has directed the Delhi Police to file the chargesheet in the case as soon as possible so that the culprits are punished. The police have also been ordered to ensure that there is no let-up in the investigation and fortnightly reports on progress in the probe are submitted to the MHA. The report was submitted by Singh and it highlighted loopholes in the police response to the incident.
In a letter sent to Delhi Police, the Ministry added that the role of supervisory officers should also be examined and if their negligence was established, action should be initiated against them. The Ministry asked the police to assess all the poorly lit roads in the city and work with civic authorities to get them properly illuminated. It also asked for the installation of CCTVs in vulnerable stretches.
The MHA has additionally asked the police to send a report on the progress of the case every 15 days.
In a latest development, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) on Friday handed over the blood sample report of the accused persons in this case which will reveal if they were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The FSL has also submitted the crime scene report to the police and will hand over the viscera report of the victim by Friday evening, they said.