Three policemen have been suspended for alleged negligence after videos surfaced showing a sharpshooter from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang interacting with reporters while in police custody. In these viral videos, Yogesh (26), also known as Raju, made comments regarding the recent killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, suggesting that Siddique was not a good person and had ties to India's most-wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim.
In response to the incident, Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police Shailesh Kumar Pandey ordered the suspension of the three officers, including a sub-inspector, on October 18 night, according to a report by PTI.
Yogesh is associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba gangs and is currently in custody for the murder of gym owner Nadir Shah in Delhi's Greater Kailash area last month. However, authorities clarified that he is not linked to Baba Siddique's killing, which occurred on October 12 when Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Mumbai's upscale Bandra area.
Yogesh was arrested on Thursday morning after being injured during an encounter with a joint team of the Delhi Police's Special Cell and Mathura Police. Officers seized a .32-bore pistol, ammunition, and a motorcycle from him.
After being shot in the leg, Raju was taken to a district hospital, where he spoke to reporters about Siddique. While being transferred from the hospital to jail, he made further comments on camera to journalists. Several videos of his statements quickly spread across social media and were reported by news outlets.
SP (City) Arvind Kumar stated that police took action based on Yogesh's media remarks. SSP Shailesh Kumar Pandey suspended Sub-Inspector Ramsanehi, Head Constable Vipin Kumar, and Constable Sanjay Kumar for failing to secure the accused.
Additionally, the Mumbai Police have suspended head constable Shyam Sonawane for negligence related to Siddique’s murder in Bandra East last week.
The constable, Shyam Sonawane, who was tasked with Siddique’s security, has also filed a complaint regarding the incident, according to a report by News-18.
According to Sonawane, the attackers used pepper spray and burst crackers to create confusion before opening fire on the former Maharashtra minister. This tactic allegedly contributed to the failure of Siddique's security detail to prevent the assassination.
“All constables from the protection branch who were deployed to guard Baba Siddique are being questioned to determine the reason for their inaction during the attack,” said a police official. The investigation aims to uncover any lapses in protocol that might have facilitated the shooting.
Baba Siddique, a senior leader of the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar, was killed on the evening of October 12 outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s MLA office near Colgate Ground in Nirmal Nagar.
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