CBI grills ex-UP minister in CMOs' murder case

What might prove to be an embarrassment for Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on assembly poll eve, the CBI on Tuesday grilled her former close aide and cabinet colleague Babu Singh Kushwaha.

What might prove to be an embarrassment for Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on assembly poll eve, the CBI on Tuesday grilled her former close aide and cabinet colleague Babu Singh Kushwaha.

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This was in connection with probe into murders of two chief medical officers (CMOs) - VK Arya and BP Singh and a deputy CMO YS Sachan.

Kushwaha was grilled by the special crime team of the CBI for around eight hours in the CBI headquarter here.

"During questioning Kushwaha denied any involvement in murders or NHRM scam. He claimed that he took prompt action against the accused in both the cases," said a CBI officer on the condition of anonymity.

CBI sources didn't rule of second round of questioning of Kushwaha very soon. But before that the CBI sleuths will question another former UP minister Anant Mishra in the case.

Lucknow CMO (family welfare) VK Arya was murdered in October 2010 and his successor BP Singh was killed on April 2 this year. The UP police charged deputy CMO YS Sachan for the two murders but in curious twist Sachan was also found dead inside jail premises.

All three murders were found to be linked with the scam in implantation of National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) in Uttar Pradesh. The Allahabad high court, hearing a public interest litigation, ordered CBI probes into the cases of three murders and the NHRM scam.