Raja Bhaiya case: UP police want to establish crime first

Virtually ruling out immediate arrest of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya booked in the murder of a senior police officer, Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday said it needs to be established first who committed the crime before the conspiracy angle can be probed.

The police also said that the post-mortem report of slain DSP Zia-ul-Haq, circle officer of Kunda in Pratapgarh district from where Raja Bhaiya is a five-time Independent MLA, has shown only one bullet injury and the bullet is untraceable.

As the Akhilesh Yadav government came under intense pressure for action against Raja Bhaiya over the killing of Zia in mob violence in Kunda on Saturday, a letter seeking a CBI probe into the incident has been sent to the Centre.

"The state government has sent a letter to the Centre in connection with the CBI inquiry into the Pratapgarh incident," ADG (Law and Order) Arun Kumar told reporters.

Raja Bhaiya, who has been booked under Section 120B IPC (criminal conspiracy), on Monday resigned from the state cabinet.

To a question on when action would be taken against Raja Bhaiya, Kumar said "before the criminal conspiracy, the crime has to be established first, only then further action is taken. As and when we get evidence further action will be taken. The government has already decided to hand over the case to the CBI".

Kumar also said the police was yet to find an eyewitness to the incident and also yet to identify the murder weapon.

He said all the four FIRs filed would be handed over to the CBI and that its probe will bring out the truth.

Rajya Bhaiya has been named in one of the FIRs following a complaint by the slain officer's wife Parveen Azad.

Two persons including Raja Bhaiya's supporter Guddu Singh have already been arrested after lodging of four FIRs.

Raja Bhaiya, who has a criminal record and has been sent to jail before, claimed he is being framed by his political opponents and welcomed the CBI probe. A former Jails minister, he also claimed that Guddu Singh was in Lucknow during the mob violence.       Zia was killed by a mob in Pratapgarh when he had rushed there during the course of his duty after a village head was shot dead over a land dispute.