UP cops take a wishy-washy stand on Raja Bhaiyya
Published: 06th March 2013 09:25 AM | Last Updated: 06th March 2013 09:25 AM | A+A A-
The Uttar Pradesh Police continued to shy away from interrogating Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya in connection with the murder of Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia ul Haq, even as the former minister’s name figured in the FIR. Haq’s wife Parvin Azad has been seeking action against Raja.
Haq was shot dead late on March 2 at Kunda in Pratapgarh district, where he had gone to quell violence following the murder of two persons.
The incident triggered widespread protests across the state and put Akhilesh Yadav-led government on the defensive.
The Chief Minister then flew down to Deoria, met Parvin and promised action against Raja. Acting on Parvin’s demand, he also recommended a CBI inquiry into the incident. The probe would cover the other two murders as well. When asked about the delay in acting against Raja, the ruling Samajwadi Party men maintained that now it was for the CBI to decide on whether to arrest him or not.
However, the fact remains that the CBI is yet to take up the case and the UP Police are still investigating it. Incidentally, there has been no major breakthrough in the case so far.
Raja already faces half-a-dozen criminal cases and is even dubbed the muscleman of Kunda, the Assembly constituency from where he won five consecutive elections. He belongs to the feudal Rajput family of Pratapgarh.