CBI says politicians arrested for Bhanwari's murder cannot stay in same jail

Jaipur: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told a court in Rajasthan that it is under pressure as it tries to figure out who killed Bhanwari Devi. The CBI did not say who is attempting to influence its investigation. Two politicians, both senior leaders with the Congress till recently, are in jail for the nurse's death.

Malkhan Singh and former state minister Mahipal Singh Maderna were arrested a few months ago. The CBI today said in court that it wants the politicians to be moved into separate jails; they are currently in the Jodhpur prison. Investigators said that both men are powerful people and are influencing witnesses lodged in the same prison. Calling it a "serious allegation", the Rajasthan High Court today asked the state government to take action by March 2.

The CBI also contended in court that most of the accused hail from powerful communities in western Rajasthan and trying to create an atmosphere of pressure. In response, the court said that the agency could seek legal recourse against those creating hurdles in the path of a free and fair investigation. The investigating agency's concerns stem from the fact that members of the Bishnoi community, to which Malkhan Singh belongs, had recently taken out a rally in Jodhpur agaisnt the questioning his mother, Amri Devi. Mr Singh's sister, Indra Bishnoi - also believed to be a close associate of Bhanwari - has been absconding in the case. 

Mr Singh, a Congress MLA, and Mr Maderna both had affairs with Bhanwari Devi, a nurse and state-trained midwife who starred in local music videos. She went missing from her home near Jodhpur in September amid reports that she was blackmailing Mr Maderna, then a minister, with a CD that showed him sharing intimate moments with her. The CBI believes she was kidnapped and killed and that her body was set on fire by hitmen for hire. Bhanwari Devi's husband, who persuaded the court to file a case of rape and murder against Mr Maderna, has also been arrested for allegedly assisting her abduction.

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