Congress demands CBI probe in IJP candidate's murder
The Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the murder of the Indian Justice Party's Lok Sabha candidate Bahudur Sonkar.
The Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit on Tuesday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder of the Indian Justice Party's (IJP) Lok Sabha candidate Bahudur Sonkar.
Congress state unit chief and the Lok Sabha candidate for Lucknow seat Rita Bahuguna Joshi alleged the state government was trying to cover up the murder case by getting an inquiry conducted by the state police's crime branch - criminal investigation department (CB-CID).
"We demand CB-CID must be kept away from the case and the inquiry must be entrusted to the CBI at the earliest," Joshi said in a press statement, released late on Tuesday evening.
The IJP has already demanded a CBI probe into the murder.
The body of Sonkar, a Dalit leader, was found hanging from a tree in the state's Jaunpur town early on Monday. He was contesting against ruling Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Dhananjay Singh. Sonkar's relatives have blamed the ruling BSP for the murder.
Sonkar's body was found barely 500 metres from his home near a pond in Jaunpur, about 210 km from Lucknow. His family members said they found him missing from his bed and the bed linen as well as his slippers and cell phone were strewn on the veranda, indicating a scuffle.
The post-mortem examination report issued Monday evening described it as "death by hanging" and hinted at "suicide". However, the victim's family members allege the post-mortem report was "doctored".