<b>Noida case:</b> Govt orders probe, SC not to step in

The central government today constituted a high-level four-member committee to look into the alleged police lapses in the serial killings in Noida bordering the national capital.

Minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdhury formed the committee, comprising officials from the ministry, home ministry and UP government, an official spokesperson said.

The panel would look into efforts made by the local police in locating the missing children.

It would also ascertain the level of cooperation provided by the local administration to the families of the missing children.

The committee would be required to submit its report to the ministry within 15 days.

Parents of the missing children, many of whom it has come to light were allegedly sexually abused and killed by Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Koli, have alleged police inaction and callousness in dealing with their complaints.

The National Commission for Women (NCW), which had probed the case of girls going missing from the area as long back as September, 2005, has also said had the local police acted in time, the serial killings could have been prevented.

UP govt committee meets parents of victims

Meanwhile, the two-member high level committee of UP government probing the Nitihari killings today met the parents of the victims to record their statements even as police have found that of the at least 17 persons killed, ten were girls.

Parents of eight of the children allegedly sexually abused and killed by Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Kohli, who were given compensation yesterday, met the Home Secretary Arun Kumar Singh and ADGP A C Sharma here.

A senior police official said the state government panel comprising the Home Secretary and the ADGP recorded the statements of the parents.

The next of kin of the eight of the victims were given a compensation of Rs 12 lakh each yesterday.

Meanwhile, out of the 12 identified victims, ten are girls, SSP R K S Rathore said.

He said one of the identified victims is Payal, a suspected prostitute, probing whose kidnapping case police unearthed the skeletal remains in the main suspect Moninder Singh's house in Sector 31.

Payal is the only grown-up victim among those identified so far, with all the other 11 victims being below the age of ten.

The investigators have said Moninder Singh and his servant Surendra Kohli sexually abused and killed children at his Sector 31 house.

SC declines to intervene

In a related developmentm, the Supreme Court today declined to entertain a plea seeking CBI inquiry into the serial killings at Nithari village in Noida saying the matter is already being looked into by various agencies including Uttar Pradesh Police.

A Bench headed by CJI Y K Sabharwal said this was not a matter to be mentioned before it since NHRC and National Commission for Women (NCW) were looking into it and is being investigated by State Police.

An advocate Raviprakash Gupta had made an oral mentioning before the Bench for treating newspaper reports on the issue as a petition.


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