Gurugram: Haryana DGP Ajay Singhal, a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, has acknowledged lapses in the handling of the unidentified body later identified as Delhi-based real estate professional Yuvraj Singh Manchanda, saying the police may amend their standard operating procedure (SOP) if required.
Singhal made the remarks during his visit to Gurugram on Monday, amid judicial scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the recovery, identification and cremation of Manchanda’s body.
“There is a proper SOP that if you find a dead body, we cannot keep it for more than three days. We thus followed the SOP and cremated it. There were certain lapses and the court has taken cognisance. We will look into those and issue appropriate directions or make amendments if required,” Singhal told reporters.
Court Questions Handling of Unidentified Body
Manchanda, 31, went missing after travelling from Delhi to Gurugram on September 6. Gurugram Police recovered a decomposed body from a drain in the Badshahpur area on September 10. The body was cremated as unidentified on September 14, before it was established that it was Manchanda’s.
Delhi Police had registered a missing-person case on September 11 and uploaded Manchanda’s details and photograph on the ZIPNET system the following day. Questions have since been raised over whether the Gurugram Police checked the database and whether information about the unidentified body was shared appropriately.
A Delhi court has questioned Gurugram Police over several aspects of the procedure, including the delayed uploading of details on ZIPNET, preservation of belongings and viscera, postmortem videography and the failure to inform the executive magistrate about the inquest. The court has sought records relating to the recovery, identification and cremation of the body.
Police Had Earlier Maintained Procedures Were Followed
Gurugram Police had earlier maintained that prescribed procedures were followed in dealing with the unidentified body and said an unidentified-body proforma had been completed during the postmortem. An assistant sub-inspector posted at Badshahpur police station was subsequently suspended following an internal review over alleged negligence in the investigation.
The case has also reached the Supreme Court. On September 22, the apex court directed the Delhi Police Commissioner and Gurugram Police to file affidavits explaining why Manchanda’s unidentified body was cremated before identification and why details concerning its recovery were not reflected on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).
Death Investigation Continues
Delhi Police have arrested Manchanda’s former colleague Anya Vats and her partner Sanyam Sachdeva in connection with his alleged murder. Police allege that Manchanda was killed in Gurugram before his body was disposed of in a drain.
There is also a discrepancy concerning the reported cause of death. The postmortem report cited asphyxia following ante-mortem drowning, while the Delhi Police investigation has alleged that Manchanda was shot before his body was dumped. The matter remains under investigation.
The Haryana DGP’s latest comments indicate that the police are reviewing the procedural issues highlighted by the courts and may issue further directions or modify the existing SOP governing unidentified bodies.
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