Politician Raja Bhaiya returned as UP minister today. He was forced to resign over charges in a cop murder case
Controversial Uttar Pradesh politician Raghuraj Pratap Singh or 'Raja Bhaiya' today returned as a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government, eight months after he was forced to resign over allegations that he was involved in the murder of a senior cop.
Raja Bhaiya was sworn in as a minister this morning, with Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief of the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Chief Minister's father, making a rare appearance at the ceremony.
The MLA had recently been cleared by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the killing of Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia ul Haq. Mr Haq's wife had accused Raja Bhaiya of plotting to murder him.
"All the criminal cases against me are politically motivated, thanks to Mayawati. Allegations against me were proved false. I willingly took a polygraph test and came out clean," Raja Bhaiya told reporters.
Mr Haq was killed on March 2 in Pratapgarh district where he had gone to investigate a village headman's murder. An angry mob reportedly cornered him, and eight policemen who were with him allegedly abandoned him. Three bullets were fired - one killed Mr Haque; the other two killed headman Nanhe Yadav's brother.
In August, the CBI filed a "technical" closure report in a Lucknow court, but asked the state government for a probe into Raja Bhaiya's alleged role in getting arms licences for villagers, which the agency said were used for illegal activities.
Raja Bhaiya faces eight criminal cases, including those of attempt to murder, robbery and dacoity. He had been jailed for nearly a year in 2007, when the Mayawati-led BSP was in power.
Despite his notoriety, the Samajwadi Party hopes his appeal with the Thakur community will help them regain lost ground in western Uttar Pradesh after the arrest of BJP MLA Sangeet Som for his alleged role in the Muzaffarnagar riots. The Thakurs had rallied behind Som soon after his arrest.