Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla.
She also suspended the director general of Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department, which has been investigating the case.
Addressing a hurriedly called press conference in Lucknow, the chief minister said the director general has been suspended for not completing the probe into the high-profile case within the stipulated period of one month, which expired on Monday.
Adverse remarks have been made in the confidential report of six other members of the investigating team, she said.
"The agency neither submitted its report nor sought an extension. We have taken it very seriously," Mayawati said.
Earlier, in a sudden volte face, family members of Madhumita withdrew their request for a CBI probe into the murder case in which former U P minister Amar Mani Tripathi's name figures.
Official sources said that the Director General of Police office has received two fax messages from Shanti Shukla, mother of Madhumita, saying they have no problem with CB-CID and were 'satisfied with the on-going probe'.
In one of the messages, Shanti Shukla asked officials to ignore her earlier fax message requesting a CBI probe. The second message was more elaborate in which she said that they (family members) have full faith on CB-CID and this investigating agency should be allowed to continue.
On Sunday last, Shanti Shukla had faxed a message to the chief minister's office as well as to the office of the DGP requesting for a CBI probe after Mayawati had said that she would refer the case to CBI provided family members of the slain poetess make a request in this regard in writing.
Interestingly, it is not the first time the family members of the slain poetess had changed their statements. Earlier, Nidhi Shukla, the elder sister of Madhumita, had blamed the wife of Tripathi for killing her sister.
Later, she retracted her statement and said she was misquoted.
The 24-year old poetess was shot dead by two assailants in her Paper Mill colony residence on May 9. The alleged relationship between Madhumita and the former BSP Minister created ripples in political circles forcing Mayawati to sack Tripathi from the ministry and hand over the case to CB-CID.