Aarushi case: 3 top cops transferred

No sooner than Central Bureau of Investigation sleuths moved in to take over the sensational Aarushi murder case on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati promptly gave marching orders to all her senior police officers closely connected with the investigations so far.

Aarushi, a Class IX student of Delhi Public School, Noida, was found with her throat slit and head hammered in her home on May 16 and the family help's body was found on the terrace a day later.

Interestingly, Mayawati claimed that the removal of Noida Senior Superintendent of Police Satish Ganesh, Meerut range deputy inspector general of police and Meerut Inspector General Gurdarshan Singh was not a reflection of any kind of laxity on their part.

"I decided to shift them simply because I do not want anyone to accuse them of attempting to influence the CBI proceedings," Mayawati sought to clarify at a hurriedly convened press conference at her official residence in Lucknow on Sunday evening.

And the chief minister went on to add, "I have nothing against these officers who have done a good job by unearthing quote valuable evidence in the case; and I was quite satisfied with their findings, but since the grieving family expressed their desire for a CBI probe as they were dissatisfied with the UP police investigations, I decided to concede their wish."

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister has named R K Chaturvedi as the new Noida SSP, R P Rama Sastri as the new Meerut DIG and Gyan Singh as the zonal IG.

Notwithstanding her claims, sources in the state administration maintained that the sudden decision was taken essentially because of the failure of the incumbents to substantiate their charges against Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar, who was named as the key accused in the double murder.

Meerut IG Gurdarshan Singh had pointedly charged Talwar of killing Aarushi in a fit of rage after he found her with Hemraj in an "objectionable" position.

The IG added that just before killing his daughter, Talwar had taken Hemraj to the terrace and killed him. Talwar has since been in jail. Noida cops had also sought his narco-test since his sustained interrogation during three days of police remand also proved futile in eliciting any information from him.

Nupur Talwar, mother of Aarushi, has claimed that her husband was innocent and that the Noida police have framed him.