Pramesh S Jain
Kadugodi Child Murder Case: Three Police Officers Suspended For Dereliction Of Duty
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday announced the suspension of three police personnel, including a Police Inspector,a Sub-Inspector and a station writer attached to the Kadugodi Police Station, for alleged dereliction of duty and violation of legal procedures in the investigation of the death of a six-year-old girl.
Addressing the media in Bengaluru,the minister said the government would not tolerate negligence or unlawful conduct by police officials under any circumstances.
Kharge said that the post-mortem report,received on April 4, had clearly indicated that the child’s death was not natural.
He noted that the police should have immediately treated the case as a suspicious death,registered an FIR and initiated a detailed investigation.
Instead,officials allegedly continued to handle the matter as a UDR (Unnatural Death Report) case and failed to take timely action despite the medical findings.
“This is a serious lapse on the part of the officers concerned.
The law mandates prompt action in such cases,and any deviation from procedure will invite strict consequences,”the minister said.
The minister further stated that the key accused in the case, identified as Mohan and Priyanka,have already been arrested and are currently in police custody.
He added that further action would be taken after the completion of the ongoing investigation and submission of the final report.
Meanwhile,Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the suspensions were based on shortcomings in the initial investigation.
He explained that the case ought to have been registered as a suspicious death from the outset.
However,the officials concerned booked it under the category of unnatural death and failed to take appropriate legal action even after the post-mortem report confirmed the cause of death.
The case has drawn widespread attention after investigators arrested the child’s mother,advocate Priyanka,and her associate Mohan in connection with the girl’s death.
Police are continuing their probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
