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Another BJP minister, MP in the dock in kidnapping case

With memories of the alleged criminal nexus of Amar Mani Tripathi, a Loktantrik Congress Party minister in the Rajnath Singh Cabinet, yet to fade, the involvement of another minister and a Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament in a sensational kidnapping case has put the ruling party in a fix.

The police have named Rama Pati Shastri, state health minister, and Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, MP from Gonda, as suspects in the Sanjay Jhunjhunwala kidnapping case.

If Rajnath Singh takes any action against the two party leaders on the lines of Tripathi's sacking and arrest, it would amount to throwing a spanner in BJP's efforts to cobble up a majority in the event of a hung assembly.

The report submitted by the Special Task Force probing the kidnapping of the industrialist said, "There is sufficient prima-facie evidence against the BJP minister and MP."

The industrialist, who was released after eight days of captivity, was understood to have shelled out a ransom of Rs 35 million.

While senior police officials preferred to maintain discreet silence, a junior police officer disclosed that main accused Bhupendra Singh, a son of a senior superintendent of police posted in Faizabad, had confessed his involvement in Jhunjhunwala's kidnapping.

Bhupendra Singh was stated to have told, "I was only the local guide of the kidnapping gang which had come from western UP and to which I was introduced by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Saran Singh."

"I had accompanied the kidnapping team right from the time of picking up Jhunjhunwala from his Nirala Nagar residence to our temporary hideout in my uncle Brijendra Singh's house in Rae Bareli, where we kept him until June 14," he was stated to have said.

While both his uncle and another accomplice, Ram Shankar Gupta, have been taken into custody by the police, Bhupendra disclosed, "I was promised a share of the ransom and when I went to collect it from the BJP MP, who was then at his Nawabganj residence, I was told to wait since he himself was yet to receive his share from Health Minister Rama Pati Shastri."

In yet another related revelation, Bhupendra told the police: "Ramapati Shastri had initially suggested to the kidnappers to target the son of his own department's director general H C Vaish. But as luck would have it, on the very day of the arrival of the gang, Vaish's son left for USA. Shastri then promptly came up with the alternative name of Sanjay Jhunjhunwala."

According to Bhupendra's confession the gang stayed in Lucknow for five days during which they charted out their kidnapping plan in consultation with the minister and the MP

"It was also on Brij Bhushan Saran Singh's advice that the kidnappers had carried only four pistols instead of any big firearm," Bhupendra was stated to have told the police.

The BJP MP, however, denied anything to do with Bhupendra or the kidnapping,

"This is a conspiracy against me," he told rediff.com over telephone.

While Chief Minister Rajnath Singh was quick to pin down Tripathi, who was not only promptly dropped him from the council of ministers, but was also arrested, the police are dithering in initiating any action against the two BJP leaders.

"We are still in the process of corroborating the evidence given by Bhupendra with our other findings and would have to wait until something concrete comes out," a top police official of the state said.

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