The CBI will shortly notify taking up the probe into UP police officer Zia-ul-Haq's murder and the connected killings of a village pradhan and his brother, according to Delhi-based sources in the agency. "The notification will be issued in a couple of days," a Central Bureau of Investigation official who did not want to be named said on Wednesday. "A team from Delhi is likely to conduct the probe."

After recommending a CBI probe into the killings on Monday, the ruling Samajwadi Party came under pressure from the opposition to say when the agency would take charge of the probe.

The case became politically sensitive after controversial minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya was booked for alleged conspiracy in the killing of Haq, a deputy superintendent of police and the circle officer of Kunda.

Raja Bhaiya, the Kunda MLA, resigned as minister (food and civil supplies) after he was named along with four persons close to him in the case registered on the complaint of Haq's widow, Parveen Azad.

Haq was beaten up and shot on March 2 in Balipur village, 75 km west of Pratapgarh district headquarters, while trying to control the violence that had erupted after gram pradhan Nanhey Singh Yadav was shot, allegedly over a land dispute. Nanhey's brother, Suresh, died in crossfire when a mob attacked Haq and his team.

The police, meanwhile, said the post-mortem report of Haq showed a dozen injury marks including a bullet wound.

Azad has rejected the report and demanded a second post-mortem. Senior cabinet minister Azam Khan said the government was ready to order another post-mortem.

Akhilesh meets pradhan's family 
Balipur: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav met the family of Nanhey and Suresh and handed over two cheques for R20 lakh each to their father Dukhi Ram.