Agencies, Deoria Paying a surpise visit to Juafar in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, the ancestral village of slain police Deputy SP Zia-Ul-Haque, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today said his killers should be punished at any cost.
Rahul, accompanied by UP Congress Committee president Nirmal Khatri and party legislator from the district Akhilesh Pratap Singh, met the family members of the slain police officials and condoled his death at Juafar village, about 55 km from the Deoria district headquarters. The Congress leader assured Praveen Azad, the widow of Zia-Ul-Haque, of all possible help during his hourlong meeting. He also paid his regards at the burial ground where the body of the the Deputy SP was buried. In a brief interaction with mediapersons, Mr Gandhi said the matter was already referred to CBI for probe and the impartial investigating agency would bring out the truth behind the killing. The Congress president,though without specifying, said all possible help would be provided to the family.
UPCC president Nirmal Khatri, speaking to reporters on the occasion, alleged that the law and order situation in the state had reached a new low and criminals were roaming fearlessly in the state while the people were at the receiving end all the time. He also tried to pacify the widow of the DSP and hoped the real culprits would not be spared. DSP Zia-Ul-Haque, posted as circle officer of Kunda in Pratapgarh district, was killed on March 2 in Balipur village of that district where he had gone after the murder of the gram pradhan Nanhe Yadav and his brother Suresh Yadav.
The visits of political leaders to Juafar village in Deoria district are continuing since then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and union minister of state for home R P N Singh have already visited the village. UP minister Raguraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya who was alleged to be involved in the murder of the DSP had to resign in the wake of this controvery.
