Akhilesh remains non-committal on Raja Bhaiyya's arrest

Lucknow, March 6 (IANS) As opposition leaders demanded that former minister and independent legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya be arrested on suspicion of conspiring to kill deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Zia-ul-Haq, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday remained non-committal.

Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators staged a walkout in the state assembly, demanding the arrest of Raja Bhaiyya.

The chief minister said the matter was now referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation and one should wait for the law to take its course.

The chief minister had also visited the families of slain village pradhan (headman) Nanhe Yadav and his brother Suresh in Bilapur village of Pratapgarh.

Condemning the killing of the Yadav duo, which resulted in the arson and mob violence that claimed the senior official last weekend, the chief minister said the incident was tragic and said the state government would leave no stone unturned to hunt down the culprits.

"There is no question that law and order was a priority for the state government and everything would be done to ensure that the law of the land prevailed," Akhilesh Yadav said.

He also gave ex-gratia cheques of Rs.20 lakh each to the families of the deceased village pradhan, Nanhe Yadav, and his brother, Suresh Yadav. Both the men had been killed in Bilapur village of Kunda in Pratagarh.

Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs minister Mohd Azam Khan, who was with the chief minister, said that he considered everyone guilty but added that he was not the court. "The case is with the CBI now and I am sure the guilty would be brought to justice" he said.

Refusing to comment on the statement of Syed Imam Bukhari of the Jama Maszid that the minorities were not safe in Uttar Pradesh, Khan said he was "too small" to comment on the matter.

The state government meanwhile extended security to the families of the slain pradhan. The state home department has also begun the process of examining the resume of Parveen, Haq's widow, for offering her a suitable government job. Haq's brother's resume is also being examined.