Noida killings: No action taken yet against officials

Even a fortnight after the receipt of the report on Nithari serial killings, the Uttar Pradesh government is yet to take action against six senior police officials, including an SSP rank officer, as recommended by its two-member committee.

In its 50-page preliminary report submitted to the government in the first week of the month, the committee had stated that if the district police had conducted proper probe into the killings, the lives of several innocent children would have been saved, highly-placed sources said.

The committee, comprising Home Secretary A K Sinha and ADG (Law and order) A C Sharma, had recommended action against 15 police personnel, including the suspension of three officers, for their handling of the investigation into the murder of women and children.

Acting on the findings of the panel, the state government suspended three officers -- Noida's former SSP Piyush Mordia, ASP Soumitra Yadav and Circle Officer Sewak Ram Yadav -- and dismissed six sub-inspectors.

But the government is yet to take action against six other police personnel.

The committee has recommended action against two gazetted officers, including RKS Rathaur, SSP Noida and four sub-inspectors, the sources said.

Citing registration of 19 cases in connection with the serial killings, the committee has reportedly said the 'district police did not act promptly in the matter under pressure'.

Questioning the role of Rathaur, it said several such cases occurred during his tenure also but they were hushed up, sources said.

The committee was appointed by the state government soon after the serial killings, allegedly by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and Surender Koli at Nithari in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, came to light, has suggested several measures to check recurrence of Nithari-like incidents, the sources said.

It has suggested the creation of special cells in IG offices to probe and monitor the investigation into cases involving disappearance of children.

Steps should be taken to ensure that there was no hurdle in the way of registration of such cases at police stations, they said.

Beat-wise registers should be maintained at every police station in which cases of missing children should be registered, the committee recommended, the sources said.