New Delhi / 3 policemen suspended in Hyderabad vet's rape and murder case

Three policemen, including a sub-inspector, was suspended on Saturday in connection with the gang rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad. Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the police personnel were suspended for dereliction of duty, reported news agency IANS.

The policemen were suspended after a detailed inquiry found that they delayed the registration of an FIR relating to the missing woman on the intervening night of November 27 and 28, according to a statement from the commissioner’s office.

On Friday, the kin of the victim alleged that the police “wasted precious time” which could have been used to save her. The veterinarian’s charred body was found under a culvert in Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday night. The family told the National Commission for Women (NCW) that a lot of time was wasted because the police were fighting over jurisdiction that in which police station the case should be registered.

After the inquiry, M Ravi Kumar, Sub-Inspector of Police, Shamshabad Police Station, P Venu Gopal Reddy and A Sathyanarayana Goud, both head constables at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) Police Station, have been placed under suspension till further orders.

“All the officers of Cyberabad Police have been once again instructed to register cases irrespective of jurisdiction whenever a complaint related to cognisable offence is received in the police station,” said the Commissioner.

Protests erupted across the country on Saturday with hundreds protesting outside Shadnagar Police station, located on the outskirts of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana, demanding justice.

After the allegation of delay in filing the FIR, union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said that the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure will be amended to expedite trial in grave criminal offences such as rape and murder. Speaking to reporters after visiting the victim’s family, he said that the Centre is considering a suggestion that the conviction in such cases by trial courts may be challenged only in the Supreme Court.