Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath (File)
The father of a 25-year-old man killed during a 2013 sectarian clash in Lucknow has objected to the government’s move to transfer the case to Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID).
Ashok Kumar Yadav, 64, said he never asked for it and was happy with a Special Investigation Team (SIT)’s probe into Ved Prakash’s murder. He questioned the government move, saying it was unusual to transfer the case at the request of the wife of one of the four absconding accused.
A letter from CB-CID acknowledging the May 7 transfer order to the home department (a copy of which is with The Indian Express) stated, Zeba, the wife of Syed Ali Mohammad Jafari, had submitted the application for the transfer. The CB-CID has been asked to complete the probe within two months. It was not immediately clear why Zeba’s application was accepted. Top officials were unavailable for their response.
Yadav said the transfer would help the accused. “The government is doing injustice to me. I never requested transfer of the investigation as I was satisfied with the SIT probe. The transfer has been ordered at request of the accused (his wife) which is not done usually. I would move court against the decision.”
Ved Prakash was shot dead pointblank while he was passing by the Shia-Sunni clash scene in Wazirganj on January 16, 2013.
The SIT identified Syed Hasan Mehndi, Syed Sibte Hasan, Syed Ali Mohammad Jafari and Syed Taqi Abbas, all Shia, as the murder accused. The SIT said the accused had caught Ved Prakash and shot him. “We also had got statements of witnesses recorded before a magistrate,” said a police officer associated with the probe.
The SIT initially sought non-bailable warrants against the four in August 2016. They were later declared proclaimed offenders. A court ordered attachment of their properties in April 2017 as the four continued to remain on the run.
An SIT officer said they sent several reminders to authorities, including principal secretary (home) and the police chief, regarding the attachment. “But the order was not executed… Now, the investigation has been transferred to the CB-CID.”
Circle officer Durga Prasad Tiwari said he was unaware of any such court order sent regarding the attachment of properties.