Corporator's death: Police change stance

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday did a volte face on its stand in the Atma Ram murder case when it collected documents from MCD’s Town Hall headquarters. The documents relate to the proposal to privatise toll tax collection in the city.
The police had till recently claimed that it was a love triangle which resulted in the murder of Tri Nagar councillor Atma Ram Gupta.
Despite several reports suggesting that monetary transactions, particularly those pertaining to the proposal on toll tax collection, could have been a motive, the police rejected it.
Sources had indicated that the police officers investigating the case were under immense political pressure to keep things low key and not widen the scope of investigations.
The visit to the MCD headquarters now seems to suggest that either the pressure has eased or the police have fumbled on a piece of evidence which strongly points towards a motive other than a love triangle involving, Gupta, his alleged murderer and councillor Sharda Jain and Memwati Barwala, another councillor.
The police is also trying to ascertain Gupta’s movements between August 21 and 24. They have questioned several councillors, including an MCD official who received the last call from Gupta on the day when he was killed.
Besides, the police are also tracing movements of other Congress councillors to find out who were in regular touch with Gupta before he was murdered.
Deputy commissioner of police (north-west) Sanjay Singh said: ‘‘We are examining all possible angles in the case.’’ He refused to say why his men had gone to the MCD headquarters.
The police have also identified the hired killers of Gupta. Their names are Pushpinder and Nirvikar alias Doctor, the police said. They also claimed the killers are relatives of accused Roshan Singh Pradhan.
All the three are absconding and Delhi Police has sent teams to Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh to locate them.
The Opposition party in the MCD, BJP, has alleged that there is a possibility of a bigger political conspiracy in which even senior Congress leaders of Delhi may be involved. A BJP councillor, requesting anonymity, said: ‘‘There is a possibility of privatisation of toll tax being the cause for murder.�
Police commissioner quizzes Jain: Commissioner R S Gupta questioned Sharda Jain, Keshavpuram municipal councillor and prime accused in Atma Ram Gupta murder case, on Sunday.
Gupta spoke to Jain at the office of deputy commissioner of police (DCP), west.