Mehar case: Report says cops erred at every step

IG8217;s report to DGP blames cops for failure to record Mehar8217;s statement before death

In a damning report for the khaki in the state, the Lucknow IG8217;s internal report to the top cop has said the police 8220;erred at every step8221; in the Mehar Bhargava murder case. The mistakes, notes the report submitted to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police DGP Yashpal Singh last evening, 8220;could cost the probe dear during trial.8221;

The Indian Express has learnt that police did not even record Bhargava8217;s statement8212;which would now have been a dying declaration. Besides, the Hazratganj police failed to undertake its primary duty in reaching the crime spot within the response time. Besides, they showed no urgency in raiding accused Sachin Pahari8217;s hideouts or issue warrants against him. The whole case was treated 8220;as routine by the investigators who just sat glued to their seats in the police station8221;, Lucknow IG Zone O P Tripathi8217;s report says.

DGP Yashpal Singh had asked the IG on Sunday to examine the city police8217;s role and trace the reason behind police failure to nab the criminals. 8220;The Hazratganj police should have raided the flat in Dalippur Tower in which criminals were residing. It might have helped police to get an early lead about the criminals8217; whereabouts,8221; IG Tripathi said.

About the police failure to record Mehar8217;s statement, the IG said: 8220;Meher8217;s statement was a clinching evidence for us, but police never made any effort to contact the family or doctors at Apollo hospital, in delhi to record her statement, though she was admitted there for almost a month before her death on March 25. That would have now been a dying declaration against the accused. Neither did police contact the hospital to collect her injury report to ascertain where exactly she was shot. All these things will be vital during trial 8212; we have all seen the fate of the Jessica Lall case.8221;

Though the main accused Sachin Pahari was identified on March 1, a day after the murder, the police made no effort to raid his possible hideouts, the IG said. 8220;That meant he had an easy escape route, and the police applied for his non-bailable warrant after over a fortnight. All this should have been done immediately. Just a routine reward of Rs 2,500 was declared on the accused.8221;

With inputs from Lucknow