Cops mishandled Delhi man's murder case, family denied last rites; Police face probe

The Gurugram Police have come under scrutiny over alleged lapses in handling the body of 31-year-old Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, whose family was reportedly deprived of the opportunity to perform his last rites after the unidentified body was not promptly entered into the prescribed police database.

A departmental inquiry has been ordered against the Badshahpur Station House Officer (SHO), while written recommendations have been made for action against the Investigating Officer (IO) and the Police Control Room in-charge.

According to Police Commissioner Shibas Kaviraj, the case involved an apparent violation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) governing unidentified bodies and missing-person cases.

Under the prescribed procedure, details of a missing person, unclaimed body or criminal case are required to be entered promptly on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal.

In Manchanda's case, the alleged delay in uploading the details meant that the unidentified body recovered in Badshahpur could not be matched with his family's missing-person complaint in time.

The lapse became significant because the family was eventually able to identify Manchanda only after photographs of the body were shown to them, denying them the chance to perform his final rites at the appropriate time.

The alleged failure was not confined to the police station. The Gurugram Police Control Room is also responsible for circulating information about unidentified bodies to police units in Gurugram, Delhi and neighbouring states so that such cases can be cross-checked against missing-person records. Officials have alleged that the required alerts were not issued promptly.

The development has prompted senior police authorities to take disciplinary action.

A departmental inquiry has been initiated against the Badshahpur SHO, while a written recommendation has been submitted seeking a departmental probe into the conduct of the Investigating Officer and the Control Room in-charge.

Senior officials have also sought a detailed report into the sequence of events and the procedural lapses.

The police action comes against the backdrop of the wider murder investigation into Manchanda's death.YUVRAJ MANCHANDA MURDER CASE

The Delhi resident went missing on September 6 after travelling to Gurugram to meet former colleague Anya Vats. Police allege that Vats and her partner, Sanyam Sachdeva, killed him and later disposed of his body in a drain in Badshahpur. The two accused have been arrested and are in police custody.

With the murder investigation still underway, the alleged procedural lapses in handling the body have added another layer of scrutiny to the case.

The departmental inquiries are expected to establish responsibility, determine whether mandatory protocols were ignored and examine why the information was not circulated in time.- Ends