Rahul backs plea for CBI probe into official’s murder

AMETHI - Calling on the widow of a slain revenue official, Ram Kumar Yadav, allegedly killed by a ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Tuesday backed her demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder.

Gandhi, who is on a three-day visit of his Amethi parliamentary constituency, urged Yadav’s widow Kamala Devi not to give up her demand for a CBI probe into the kidnapping and gruesome murder.

“You continue to raise your demand with the state government and if it is not conceded then you must move the court to get the case handed over to CBI,” he said.

“I will extend whatever help you require for that,” he told the 40-year-old widow who won the local gram pradhan’s election from her Majhwara village last month.

It was Yadav’s decision to field Kamala Devi against BSP legislator Sonu Singh’s nominee that allegedly provoked the latter to get him abducted and murdered.

Mounting public pressure compelled the state police to book Sonu Singh and his brother Monu Singh (also a BSP leader) under the Gangsters Act.

Later, at a meeting of district level functionaries at Gauriganj, legislator Chandra Prakash Matiyari of the ruling BSP sought to put Gandhi in an embarrassing position by demanding a package of Rs.5,000 crore for infrastructure development in Amethi.

Rahul said: “Let me tell you that development projects worth nearly Rs.7,000-8000 crore are in the pipeline for Amethi and Rae Bareli, but these were hanging fire simply because of the non-cooperation of your state government.”

The Congress general secretary later walked into a shooting competition taking place in an Amethi college, where he made it a point to show his skills by hitting the bull’s eye in the very first shot.