BJP demands probe into Sadiq Batcha's death

Opposition BJP today demanded an investigation into the alleged suicide of former telecom minister A Raja's associate Sadiq Batcha, saying it could be a case of murder to get rid of those who can become witnesses in the second generation mobile telephony spectrum allocation scam.

"Any death is unfortunate and this is one of them.... This smacks of something more than suicide. This is not an ordinary suicide," deputy leader of BJP in the Rajya Sabha SS Ahluwalia said.

He said there could be something more than a mere suicide and insisted that the presence of a suicide note was not enough.

In reply to a question on whether Batcha could have been killed, Ahluwalia said, "It could be murder as those involved in 2G spectrum scam want to get rid of those who can become witnesses."

Batcha died in mysterious circumstances in Chennai today and his wife claimed that he committed suicide "unable to cope with the pressure" of the probe in the second generation mobile telephony spectrum allocation scam.

He had been earlier questioned by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate separately, and was rumoured to be contemplating becoming a witness in the case.

Batcha, 47, was managing director of Green House promoter private limited and a close associate of Raja. He was reportedly in the know about several transactions related to the second generation mobile telephony spectrum allocation.