Munna Bajrangi’s last rites in Varanasi on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Anand Singh)
A day after gangster Prem Prakash Singh, alias Munna Bajrangi, was killed inside Baghpat Jail, his wife Seema Singh on Tuesday urged Baghpat police to investigate the role of former BSP MP Dhananjay Singh and two others in the murder, even as the man accused in the crime, Sunil Rathi, has denied any conspiracy and claimed that he shot Bajrangi following a heated argument, according to police The two others named by Seema in her complaint are Pradeep Kumar Singh and his father J N Singh.
Former lawmaker Dhananjay Singh, who comes from UP’s Jaunpur district, denied the allegations and said he had no rivalry with Bajrangi but for the fact that he had supported candidates who had contested against Bajrangi and Seema in successive elections the husband-wife duo fought – both unsuccessfully – from Mariyahu constituency of Jaunpur in 2012 and 2017.
Munna Bajrangi’s daughter and wife outside the mortuary in Baghpat. (Photo: Abhinav Saha)
Stating that he had never met Bajrangi, and that the deceased and Seema were only his “political rivals” in Jaunpur, Dhananjay said, “Seema Singh may be taking my name because of that.”
Baghpat jail superintendent registered a murder case against Sunil Rathi at Khakherha police station in Baghpat.
“Vicky Sunehra, a dreaded gangster lodged in a high-risk cell along with Munna Bajrangi, has been made a witness in the case. He said Rathi allegedly killed Bajranji following a heated argument – the argument apparently started after Bajrangi asked him (Rathi) who had given the contract killing to him,” a source in the police said.
SHO Rajneesh Kumar of Khakherha police station, investigating officer in the Munna Bajrangi murder case, said, “I have received Seema Singh’s complaint and have started the probe into the role of the three suspects she has mentioned.”
He said police have decided not to seek Rathi’s custody since the alleged murder weapon has been recovered. “So far, Sunil Rathi claims that he knew Munna Bajrangi for a long time. He claims they met when both were lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Rathi denied any conspiracy into the murder and said he shot Bajrangi over a heated argument,” claimed Rajneesh Kumar.
Uttar Pradesh DGP O P Singh said, “We are reconstructing the crime scene and scanning call details of all police personnel present in jail. As per the FIR, there is no eyewitness in the case, but we are questioning all jail staff and inmates, trying to ascertain the exact sequence of events.”
Baghpat SP Jai Prakash said, “Seema Singh’s application will be included in the probe. We will look into the role of the three people she has named.”Former BSP MP Dhananjay Singh said as per his information, the others named by Seema, Pradeep Singh, is 60 and J N Singh is Pradeep’s father and a retired deputy SP of UP Police. He alleged that Seema probably named them over a land dispute in Varanasi. Pradeep and J N Singh were available for a comment.
Munna Bajrangi’s body being taken for autopsy from Baghpat jail on Monday. (Photo: Abhinav Saha)
Seema Singh has also alleged that her husband’s murder was connected to the killings of her brother Pushpjeet and the latter’s friend Sanjay Mishra — both killed in 2015 — and later of Bajrangi’s associate Tariq in 2017. All three were killed in Lucknow. Lucknow police filed closure reports in the murders of Pushpjeet and Sanjay in May this year on grounds that the assailants or conspirators could not be identified. The probe into Tariq’s killing is still on, an officer said.