Gaya: Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sushil Kumar on Wednesday suspended Sherghati station house officer (SHO) Mohan Kumar and chowkidar Devendra Kashyap after an internal inquiry found serious lapses in the investigation into the murder of law student Divya Kumari Paswan, a resident of Achchhawan village under Dobhi police station area in Gaya district.Earlier, Chatra police had arrested alleged contract killer Nepali Ganjhu from Gaya in connection with the case.The SSP initiated the action after the inquiry established a prima facie case of collusion between the chowkidar and Rahul Yadav, the main accused in Divya’s murder.“Despite having full knowledge that the deceased belonged to the SC/ST community, the SHO did not invoke the relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the original FIR. This deliberate or negligent omission directly benefited the accused, enabling him to secure bail from the court,” the SSP said.Meanwhile, Magadh range IG Vikas Vaibhav directed that a speedy trial be conducted against Rahul.In a press note issued on Wednesday, the IG said Rahul had falsely claimed to be unmarried to trap Divya in a relationship. When she discovered the truth, she filed a criminal case against him at Sherghati police station. Rahul was convicted in that case and he served a six-month jail term.After his release from prison, Rahul allegedly pressured Divya to withdraw the case, but she refused. On June 24, she was allegedly lured by Rahul, and her body was later recovered from a stone quarry at Hunterganj in Jharkhand’s Chatra district.According to the press note, the inquiry conducted by the SDPO, Sherghati-I, found that despite knowing the victim belonged to the SC/ST community, the SHO failed to invoke the relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the original FIR. The omission allegedly benefited the prime accused and enabled him to secure bail.The inquiry also found prima facie evidence of collusion between the chowkidar and Rahul.Police alleged that Rahul conspired to kill Divya to prevent her from testifying in the SC/ST court case. Investigators said he lured her on June 24, got her murdered with the help of associates, and dumped her body in the abandoned stone quarry.Earlier, Chatra police arrested alleged contract killer Nepali Ganjhu from Gaya and recovered the victim’s mobile phone and cash. Rahul was later arrested by Gaya police and handed over to Jharkhand police for further investigation.
