Lucknow:
A 10-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team has reached Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh today and could ask for a second autopsy on senior police officer Zia-ul-Haq, who was shot dead on Saturday evening in a village in Kunda, the Lok Sabha constituency of former state minister and local strongman, Raja Bhaiya.
The CBI officers will meet the chief medical officer of Pratapgarh to get details of the first post mortem report and if they are not satisfied, will ask for the second autopsy. They will also visit the scene of crime later. The CBI was formally given the charge of investigating the case yesterday.
Mr Haq's wife, Parveen Azad, has said she is not fully satisfied with the first report. She also says that her husband was killed on the orders of Raja Bhaiya, whose real name is Raghuraj Pratap Singh and that she fears he could influence the investigation. She has demanded that he be arrested immediately.
The former minister faces arrest after the investigating agency booked him and registered four different cases yesterday. The politician will be investigated for criminal conspiracy. He was forced to resign from office on Monday after he was accused in a police case of criminal conspiracy.
The first post-mortem report shared by the Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday shared explicit details of how he was attacked - there were serious injuries on his head, several ribs were fractured and injuries proved he was dragged for several metres on the ground and was shot in the chest.
His revolver and the bullet that killed him are missing.
The investigating agency will today also question three police officers who have been suspended for abandoning Mr Haq in Ballipur village as he was being attacked by his murderers on Saturday evening. The role of eight policeman is being investigated in the case.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told NDTV on Wednesday night that "whichever minister has been involved in wrongdoing, we will definitely order an enquiry." The assurance lacks credibility. Despite the enormity of the charges against him, the police has yet to question or arrest Raja Bhaiya.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia-ul-Haq was killed when he arrived in Pratapgarh to investigate the shooting of the village headman and his brother. An angry mob confronted the police man.