Date:14/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/14/stories/2008071459081200.htm

Front Page

U.P. official defends raid

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government denied foul play in the raid conducted by the police on the Kolkata residence of a senior leader (Amar Singh) in connection with private buses being used to carry the Bachchan family to a function in Barabanki district in January.

Referring to a CD related to the episode reportedly mentioned by Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh at a press conference on Sunday, Principal Secretary, Home, Kunwar Fateh Bahadur said the same was distributed at a senior leader’s (Mulayam Singh) press conference in Lucknow on May 13, 2008.

Without naming Mr. Amar Singh, Mr. Bahadur told reporters here that the case was registered in Hamirpur district and the raid was part of the routine inquiry conducted by the police. He said the case was transferred to the Anti-Corruption Organisation of the UP police on May 13 and investigations were underway.

On the popular demand of taking action against the Uttar Pradesh police officials who allegedly erred in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case, Mr. Bahadur said action would be taken against the officials, if found guilty for lapses, only after the submission of the CBI charge sheet and the court verdict. He said the CBI had come to some conclusions, which were not final.

Mr. Bahadur defended the appointment of Justice (retd.) Sema of the Supreme Court as the Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission. He said the selection panel included the Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Mulayam Singh, Vidhan Parishad Chairman, Sukhram Singh and the Leader of the Opposition in Vidhan Parishad, Ahmed Hasan.

He also justified the government’s decision to suspend a Deputy Superintendent of Police, D.K. Rai for dereliction of duty.

He said the police official was found guilty of negligence that led to six Special Task Force commandos being ambushed by the gang of dacoit, Thokiya, in Chitrakoot district last year. The police party was ambushed the same night when U.P.’s most wanted brigand, Dadua, was killed in an encounter with the police in Chitrakoot district in July last year.