The Hindu : No politician involved, say Delhi police

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 17, 2002

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No politician involved, say Delhi police

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI AUG. 16. The Delhi police today gave a "clean-chit" to the Information and Technology Minister, Pramod Mahajan, asserting that no politician was found involved in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case so far.

Replying to the charges levelled by Madhu Sharma, wife of the prime accused Ravi Kant Sharma, IG of Prisons, Haryana, in Panchkula late on Thursday night that the Delhi police were deliberately not investigating the role of some senior politicians, particularly Mr. Mahajan, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), U.K. Katna, said that there was no pressure whatsoever from "any external agency'' in the investigations.

Asked about the authenticity of Ms. Sharma's allegations that Mr. Mahajan had a 45-minute conversation with Shivani the day she was murdered in 1999, Mr. Katna said he could not reveal the details. The details of the calls could not be made public as it might affect the investigations.

He reiterated that the details of the mobile phone calls and other evidence collected so far pointed to Mr.Sharma's complicity in the murder.

"The court took cognisance of the evidence and issued a non-bailable warrant against him. His anticipatory bail applications were also turned down by the sessions courts in Panchkula and Delhi. An award of Rs. 50,000 for authentic information on his whereabouts has also been declared.'' Mr. Katna said that as per law, Mr. Sharma should surrender, failing which police would initiate proceedings to freeze his property. In reply to Ms. Sharma's allegations that the Delhi police were framing her husband on the direction of the Home Ministry, he denied any such interference.

Mr. Katna said that if necessary, the Crime Branch would initiate proceeding to declare Mr. Sharma a proclaimed offender. It would question Ms. Sharma in case interrogation was necessary. She should disclose the whereabouts of her husband if she knew where he was.

In reply to Ms. Sharma's assertion that just three months after Shivani's murder, her husband had told the Delhi police that some politicians were involved in the conspiracy to eliminate her, Mr. Katna said he could not comment as he was not associated with the investigations at that stage.

In a related development, the Crime Branch intensified its search for Satya Prakash, who was allegedly directed to execute the conspiracy plan.

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