Cong demands immediate arrest of Pratapgarh incident accused

Uttar Pradesh Congress today demanded immediate arrest of all accused of Pratapgarh incident, including those named in the FIR filed by the wife of the slain DSP Zia-ul-Haq.

Led by leader of the legislature party Pradip Mathur, a Congress delegation met Governor B L Joshi and submitted a memorandum in this regard, party members said.

The delegation also drew Joshi's attention to the "rise in criminal activities, including over a dozen communal clashes, during the 10-month SP rule in UP", they said.

Claiming that there is an attempt to destroy evidence in the Pratapgarh violence so that the guilty can escape, the Congress members said the government is saving the criminals and the arrests are being made in a discriminating manner.

Haq was killed by a mob in Pratapgarh on March 2 when he had rushed there during the course of his duty after a village head was shot dead over a land dispute.

His wife had alleged that her husband was killed at the behest of Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya.

She also named three others in her police complaint.

Raja Bhaiya on Monday resigned from his post of Food and Civil Supplies minister after his name cropped up in the killing.

The UP Police had yesterday ruled out immediate arrest of Raja Bhaiya, saying it needs to be established first who committed the crime before the conspiracy angle can be probed.