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UP minister blamed for poll observer's death

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

The mysterious death of an Uttar Pradesh panchayat poll observer in Pratapgarh late last night has opened the Pandora's box of rivalry between political groups.

Ram Singh, a 42-year-old officer of the Provincial Civil Service, was a secretary of the Varanasi Development Authority, detailed as an observer for Pratapgarh, where he collapsed at a party hosted by a Samajwadi Party parliamentarian.

Barely 140 km from the state capital, Pratapgarh's political cauldron was on the boil today with rival politicians gunning for each other. UP Congress parliamentary party leader Pramod Tiwari took the opportunity to settle scores with old rival, minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, who he blamed for the officer's mysterious death.

He alleged that Ram Singh had earlier in the day had an argument with the minister's kin, Akshay Pratap Singh.

Tiwari has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, though political observers viewed this as a bid "to settle old scores" with the controversial leader of eight Independents supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition here.

"Since the person allegedly responsible for the crime happens to be an honourable minister in the state government, it will be in the fitness of things to have a probe conducted by the country's premier investigation agency," Tiwari said.

The post-mortem report has not ascertained the cause of death. That will be confirmed after examination of the viscera, which has been sent to the government laboratory in Agra.

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