Jaipur:
A court in Rajasthan has ordered the police to investigate a cabinet minister for the rape and murder of a midwife who was allegedly having an affair with him.
The midwife, Bhanwari Devi, went missing nearly 20 days ago amid reports that she has a CD which shows her in a compromising position with Mahipal Maderna, the Health and Water Resources minister.
Her husband and she live in a small town named Bhilara near Jodhpur.
"I suspect my wife has been killed. I suspect the involvement of the state minister in her kidnapping," said Amarchand, who is Bhanwari Devi's husband.
The Rajasthan High Court has asked the police to name Mr Maderna in the FIR and to investigate him for charges of murder, rape and criminal conspiracy. The government has asked for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to handle the case. The High Court today asked if this is because the police is incapable of a thorough inquiry. The court also attacked the state government for its "directionless probe."
"It is obviously a political conspiracy and I am being framed," Mr Maderna said last week. He is the son of prominent Jat community leader Parasram Maderna, and represents Osian constituency of Jodhpur in the state assembly.
Bhanwari Devi was last seen heading home from work on September 2. A missing complaint was lodged by her husband the next day. The complaint was then turned into a kidnapping case.