The Delhi hit-and-drag case in Sultanpuri, which has shocked the country, raised several questions on the initial police response. Speaking to CNN-News18, Neeraj Kumar, former Commissioner of Police, admitted the errors of the Delhi Police on deployment on New Year’s night, but defended them with regards to the first information report (FIR).
Anjali Singh, 20, was killed after being hit and dragged by a car in outer Delhi on New Year. All five accused were sent to three days? police custody on Monday.
“What has happened is problematic. I have inquired into the matter and what I got to know is that most PCR vans were diverted to crowded areas. This part of Delhi, where the accident happened, has large tracts of land and roads which are sparsely populated. So deployment was not done here. It is a fact. PCR vans were not there, but they ought to have been there. This is a problem," said Kumar.
When asked about the eyewitness accounts that suggest that there was poor initial response and possibly even dereliction on part of a PCR van, Kumar said that was incorrect to say.
#DelhiAccident: Former Delhi CP Neeraj Kumar talks about the incident; says "PCR vans were diverted towards more crowded area on the occasion of New Year's Eve"#PlainSpeak | @ShivaniGupta_5 #Delhi #HitAndDragCase #Sultanpuri pic.twitter.com/AvPRgEKFga? News18 (@CNNnews18) January 3, 2023
“It’s not true that the police didn’t pay attention. Calls were received by PCR and police station and there were responses to those calls. Vehicles were rushed, but they could not locate the body. So it is not correct to say that there was no response to those calls," he said.
The police has also faced questions over the initial FIR, with some political voices accusing them of watering down charges in an effort to save the accused.
“This is a misconception that as soon as an FIR is registered, all sections should be applied, all accused should be named and all details should be recorded. It doesn’t happen like that. The FIR is only the first information report. As the investigation unfolds, additional facts surface and sections of law and more names are added," said Kumar.
The former commissioner also added that the accused should not be given any benefit of doubt over whether they were drunk and if because of alcohol consumption, they didn’t realise they were dragging a body.
“They very much knew and it is just that they didn’t bother. They are culpable and they have to be charged with culpable homicide, maybe even amounting to murder. Once you know that someone is under your wheels, if you keep driving, it amounts to murder," he said.
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