Front Page

NSA invoked in UP murder case

AURAIYA/LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday decided to invoke the tough National Security Act (NSA) and the Gangster Act against Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Shekhar Tiwari and other accused in connection with the brutal murder of PWD engineer Manoj Kumar Gupta and said two more persons would be arrested soon.

Invocation of the two laws may deny the accused the liberty of bail for a prolonged period.

Auraiya District Magistrate Shashikant Sharma told reporters that the provisions of the two Acts besides the Indian Penal Code would be applied also to the other three accused -- Vinay Tiwari, Manoj Awasthi and Puti alias Ram Babu -- who have been arrested.

Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday had declared that the Government would take strict action against Tiwari and other accused.

I-G (Kanpur Zone) Bhanu Pratap Singh said on Friday that NSA was being invoked since the murder had led to disruption of public life and damage to property.

The police would seek custody of Tiwari and three others for a week for investigations, he said.

ADG (Law and Order) Brijlal told media persons in Lucknow that the police had got vital clues about Bhatia and Tyagi who were named by Gupta’s wife Shashi in her FIR and said the duo would be arrested soon.

Asked about the motive behind the murder, Mr. Brijlal said prima facie investigations revealed that the engineer was killed as he refused to sign bills “unlike other engineers” and was “a bit strict”.

Gupta, who is believed to have refused to pay a “huge sum” to Tiwari for Ms. Mayawati’s birthday celebrations next month, was severely thrashed allegedly by Tiwari and his men in the dead of night at his residence.

Asked about the MLA’s role, Mr. Brijlal said “maybe some men of the MLA were contractors and he had gone there on their behalf to get their bills signed”.

Meanwhile, the UP Engineers’ Association put off its indefinite strike plan after a meeting with PWD Minister Nasimuddin Siddiqui who assured that strict action would be taken against those involved in the murder.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission asked the UP Government to submit within two weeks a report on the murder.

Family rejects offer of compensation

The slain engineer’s family, meanwhile, refused to take a compensation of Rs.5 lakh announced by Ms. Mayawati.

“We don’t want compensation from the Government. We only want justice and strict action against those who killed my father”, said the engineer’s son Pratish Gupta.

Pratish, who performed the last rites of his father in his home district Lakhimpur Kheri, said that at this moment his family wanted justice, not money. - PTI

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu