Greater Noida cops have been suspended for dereliction of duty, officials said (Representational)
The Opposition on Sunday targeted the Uttar Pradesh government over the murder of a private firm employee in Noida last week, with the Congress and the BSP accusing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's dispensation of laxity and indifference.
Gaurav Chandel, a resident of Greater Noida's 5th Avenue Gaur City, was returning from work on the night of January 7 when he was shot dead and his SUV, wallet, laptop and other belongings were robbed, police had said.
Around 10:30 pm, he had called up his wife to inform her that he was at Parthala Chowk and would reach home in five minutes, they had said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Mr Chandel's family should get justice at the earliest.
"Gaurav Chandel, who worked as a manager, was murdered by criminals in Noida. The government action in this loot-and-murder case has been lax so far," she tweeted in Hindi.
"If the morale of criminals in a place like Noida is so high, what will be the situation in the whole of UP," she asked.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati asked the Yogi government to pay attention to issues of crime control and maintenance of law and order.
"Public anger is continuously rising across the entire region due to the government's cover up and indifference in the Gaurav Chandel murder case in Noida. It will be better if the UP government gives up this kind of laxity in matters of crime control and law and order and gives proper attention to public welfare," Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.
Gaurav Chandel was found unconscious around 4 am on January 8 along a service road between Parthala Chowk and Hindon Vihar. He was rushed to a private hospital where doctors declared him dead, the police had said.
His family alleged that they approached the local Cherry County police post but they got no help.
Later, they reached Bisrakh police station where they requested that Mr Chandel's phone be put on surveillance but the officials kept stalling the matter, saying the case did not fall in their jurisdiction, and two crucial hours were wasted, they said.
Over the past week, protests have been held in Greater Noida (West) to demand "Justice for Gaurav Chandel".
According to officials, a station house officer and three sub-inspectors of a police station in Greater Noida have been suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the case.
A sub-inspector in charge of Cherry County police post in Greater Noida (West) has also been taken off duty for "unsatisfactory" work approach, they said.