Delhi hit and run accused face murder charges

Murder charges have been filed against the men allegedly involved in Delhi's horrific New Year hit-and-drag case following an order by the Union home ministry.

The order came last week after a special investigation was conducted in the case, reports NDTV.

Earlier, the men were charged with "culpable homicide not amounting to murder," rash driving, and causing death by negligence.

The ministry also said the police personnel who ignored the multiple SOS calls from eyewitnesses as 20-year-old Anjali Singh was dragged 13km under the car of five drunk men — be suspended immediately, sources said.

The men had hit Anjali’s scooty on New Year and as her body rolled under their car and got tangled in the undercarriage, they drove for 13km, trying to dislodge it.

According to the postmortem report, Anjali died due to impact injuries. She had suffered a fatal head fracture and the skin had peeled off parts of her body, leaving bones exposed.

The police, who were out in strength since evening, which was New Year's eve, did not respond despite calls alerting them to the situation.

The ministry had ordered a probe amid massive public outrage.

Senior police officer Shalini Singh, who led the investigation, has found negligence on part of three PCR vans and two police pickets.

A day after the ministry's order came, the Delhi Police suspended 11 personnel -- two sub-inspectors, four assistant sub-inspectors, four head constables, and one constable. Six of them were posted on PCR duty and five were manning the pickets.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested seven people in the case – the five occupants of the car shortly after the incident, and two others later for abetment.

The police said they have established through CCTV footage that the men were completely aware that the woman was stuck under their car.

They got off the car two minutes after the accident and saw the woman's body tangled in the undercarriage. But instead of helping her, they tried to shake off the body by driving fast and taking multiple U-turns.