CBI court summons to Raja Bhaiya, 14 others

LUCKNOW: A CBI court on Thursday summoned UP cabinet minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya to once again face the trial in Kunda SP Zia-ul-Haq and Suresh Yadav murder cases. The court rejected the probe agency’s closure report in the case and called Raja Bhaiya and his associates on October 3 to face trial.
Haq and Suresh Yadav, the brother of Pratapgarh’s Balipur panchayat chief Nanhe Yadav, wwere killed in a village brawl on March 2, 2013.Nanhe Yadav too was killed the same day.
Rejecting the CBI’s closure report, judicial magistrate Manoj Kumar said, “In the present case, after perusal of the case diary and other material on record, I find there is adequate evidence against Raja Bhaiya and others hence it is justifiable to summon them to stand trial.”
The brawl began after Nanhe’s murder. Haq, who was posted as circle officer, Kunda, went to Balipur village to control the situation. But, an enraged crowd allegedly lynched and later shot him. Two more shots were fired and Suresh was killed, too. The CBI was handed over the probe in the two killings after Haq’s wife alleged that UP minister Raja Bhaiya was behind her husband’s murder.
When the CBI made him an accused, Raja Bhaiya had to resign from the ministry. However, he was back after the CBI gave him a clean chit in the Haq murder case in its closure report. On July 8, 2014, the CBI court rejected the closure report and the agency moved the high court, challenging the order. The case is still pending before the high court.
In Suresh Yadav murder case, too, the CBI had filed a closure report, calling it an accident and giving clean chit to Raja Bhaiya.
On Thursday, the CBI court rejected this closure report and summoned the minister. Others who have been asked to appear before the court on October 3 are Raja Bhaiya’s cousin Akshay Pratap Singh, then Hathigaon SHO Manoj Kumar Shukla, incharge SHO Sarvesh Kumar Mishra , Zia-ul-Haq’s gunner Imran Siddiqui, Rajiv Pratap Singh, Sanjiv Kumar Singh, Guddu Singh alias Sanjai Singh, Jivendra Pal, Nanhey Singh, Kamta Pal, Ajai Pal, Vijai Pal, Munna Pal and Bulle Pal.