BIJNOR: Three policemen, including the SHO of the local thana, were suspended for “dereliction of duty” on Friday after a 22-year-old man was beaten to death and his cousin, an Army jawan, was critically injured following a brawl at a dhaba in Bijnor’s Haldaur area on Wednesday night.Two of the accused were arrested on Thursday and a case of murder was registered against them.The flare-up happened after the victims complained to the dhaba owner that the food served to them was cold. According to police, Abhishek, 22, from Wajidpur, and his cousins Himanshu, 24, an Army jawan posted in Jhansi, and Shivam Kumar got into an argument with the owner of the roadside dhaba accusing him of not serving them hot food. Soon, things turned ugly after Vicky and Monu from a neighbouring village, who had an old rivalry with Abhishek and who happened to be at the dhaba, sided with the dhaba owner. Abhishek and Himanshu were allegedly attacked by the other group with sticks and rods and brutally beaten up. As a result of the beating, Abhishek died on the spot while Himanshu, who had arrived on leave from his Army unit just three days ago, was taken to hospital where he is said to be critical. The accused fled after the incident.Incidentally, the eatery is located right next to a police chowki under Haldaur thana on the Moradabad-Bijnor state highway. As per the victims’ families, cops at the chowki were aware of the brawl but did not bother to intervene.Bijnor SP (city) Krishna Gopal Singh said, “Haldaur SHO Mahendra Pal Singh, head constable Mohabbat Khan and constable Prashant Tomar have been suspended for dereliction of duty and negligence. An FIR has been registered against five persons — Monu Kumar, Vicky, his father Dhyan Singh, and two unidentified men — under sections 103 (1) (murder), 191 (2) (rioting), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 3 (5) (criminal acts committed by several people with a common intention) of the BNS on the complaint of the victim’s kin. Main accused Vicky and his brother Monu (both from Khatapur) have been arrested.”Angry villagers, meanwhile, demanded quick action against the culprits. They blocked the Moradabad-Bijnor state highway on Thursday morning by placing the victim’s body on the road.
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