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Witness death aimed at scuttling CBI probe
THE MYSTERIOUS death of Shashi Kant Rai in Ghazipur on Wednesday is being viewed in police circles here as an attempt to derail the CBI probe into the BJP MLA Krishnand Rai murder case. Shashi Kant Rai was the sole eyewitness in the case. The State Government had gone to the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order which had cleared the way for a CBI probe. But, the SC turned down its appeal, indicating that it would not interfere in the High Court?s order. This cleared the decks for the CBI inquiry.
THE MYSTERIOUS death of Shashi Kant Rai in Ghazipur on Wednesday is being viewed in police circles here as an attempt to derail the CBI probe into the BJP MLA Krishnand Rai murder case.
Shashi Kant Rai was the sole eyewitness in the case.
The State Government had gone to the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order which had cleared the way for a CBI probe. But, the SC turned down its appeal, indicating that it would not interfere in the High Court’s order. This cleared the decks for the CBI inquiry.
Sources said had Shashi Kant been alive, he would have been of great help to the CBI in getting to the bottom of things. But his unnatural death has proved that the perpetrators of the crime have the audacity to challenge even the apex court, which saw no reason in stopping a CBI probe in the most talked about murder in the region during the past year.
Sources in Ghazipur said since there was no conclusive finding in the autopsy, the viscera was preserved and sent to Lucknow for chemical analysis.
When culprits can change bullets in the Jessica Lal murder case, it would be easy to manipulate the autopsy and viscera reports, sources pointed out. The same happened in the much talked about BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case here, in which the post-mortem was carried out against all rules and regulations, it was alleged.
Sources said Shashi Kant’s son Nagendra lodged a case of murder against two persons Ram Bachan Pandey and Uma Shankar Pandey, who allegedly have links to the corridors of power.
It was a known fact that at least three MPs and several MLAs of the ruling party in the State were allegedly involved in this murder in which seven persons were gunned down after sharp shooters fired on the convoy of the slain MLA, said a
police officer on condition of anonymity.
A ruling party MP and an MLA from Allahabad were also allegedly involved in this murder in one way or the other, he said.
These MLAs and MPs, he said, had provided Mukhtar Ansari with their gunners. Ansari is said to be the mastermind behind the murder.
He claimed some gunners had also gone along with the shooters.
Mukhtar Ansari was in jail on November 29, 2005, when the murder was committed. But he was said to have been operating from jail on his mobile phone and was in touch with the MLAs and the MPs who were said to have helped him in providing gunners.
Police sources said STF SSP Akhil Kumar had taped all of Mukhtars conversations through his mobile and quickly got a CD of the same made. That was why Mukhtar was avoiding a voice test.
Earlier, the STF SSP was probing this case and was close to busting it, but then he was suddenly removed because of obvious reasons, said the sources.
Once the CBI starts the probe, it will also find out as to which officer in the police, or at any other level, tried to botch up the case.
If sources are correct, a copy of the CD prepared by the STF SSP has reached the CBI.
Any person to whom Mukhtar spoke on the mobile phone is likely to become an accused under 120 B. However, much depends on whether the conversation was in coded language.
Another interesting facet to this murder is the presence of all the station officers at the Ghazipur jail, where Mukhtar was lodged.
These station officers were from the police station which fell on the murder route, claimed a police officer. What were they all doing together at the jail is for the CBI to find out.
