Kavita murder: UP minister resigns

The murdered lecturer’s brother has demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter

LUCKNOW: UP Food Processing Minister Chaudhry Babulal resigned from the Mulayam ministry on Tuesday over his alleged involvement in the Kavita Rani Chaudhry case. Babulal is an MLA of Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which is a partner in the Mulayam Singh government.

Kavita, a lecturer at the Meerut University, has been missing since October 23. The main accused in the case Ravindra Pradhan has confessed to murdering Kavita. He had told a news channel that Chaudhry Babulal had been in touch with Kavita and knew all about her disappearance. Meerut police investigations have also revealed that the minister was frequently in touch with Kavita on phone. Kavita’s body is yet to be found.

Chaudhry’s one-line resignation was released to the media at the RLD office here.
Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers from Kavita’s village in Syana (Bulandshahr district) held up traffic throughout the day on the Garh Mukteshwar-Bulandshahr road, part of the busy National Highway 65. Kavita’s brother Satish Malik also joined the protestors who were demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Satish told reporters that he did not believe the story “concocted” by the Meerut police. He said that Ravindra Pradhan had confessed to have murdered Kavita on October 24, whereas he had heard her voice on phone on December 7. He said the phone had been snatched away from her before he could say anything. Satish has charged the Meerut police with trying to shield the culprits due to the involvement of several influential politicians.