Police shooting in Noida Mall leads to suspension and investigation

Noida: Two policemen of the Ghaziabad police station opened fire with a service pistol at Garden Galleria Mall in Noida’s Sector 38, prompting the police to suspend the police and initiate departmental investigation against them, police officials said on Monday.

According to police, the two police personnel have been identified as Dheeraj Kumar and Mukul Kumar, both posted at Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad. On Friday night, both of them left a party that was going on in one of the lounge areas of the mall. In an intoxicated state, they left the lounge and opened fire in the parking lot.

Although no one was injured, police were informed that the shooting was accidental, using a service pistol. Local police were alerted by mall employees, who called the police control center. After analyzing the video footage, both police officers were arrested.

Subsequently, a case was registered against them at Sector 39 police station. Though the court granted bail to both the persons, they were suspended from duty pending further investigation. Notably, it was found that the revolver used in this accident belonged to Mukul.

“Both the policemen have been suspended and an investigation has been initiated against them. This is a major negligence on their part and appropriate action will be taken,” said a senior police official.

This event follows several other disturbing incidents related to the Garden Galleria Mall parking lot. In January of this year, a 25-year-old woman filed a complaint alleging that she was raped by five men in the mall parking lot in June 2023.

In addition, a similar incident occurred in April 2022: Company manager Brijesh Rai died after being brutally attacked by bouncers and staff at one of the mall’s bars following an argument over his bill.

These back-to-back events have raised significant concerns about the security measures and safety protocols implemented in and around commercial establishments such as shopping malls, highlighting the urgent need for increased vigilance and stricter regulatory measures to protect public welfare and maintain order in these public spaces.