BJP MP to be questioned in RTI activist's murder

The probe into the murder of Madhya Pradesh based RTI activist Shehla Masood took a political turn on Thursday with police planning to question Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tarun Vijay, who said he too wanted justice for her, and the Congress demanding a CBI investigation.

According to Madhya Pradesh Police, phone records of Masood show she spoke to Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay Aug 15 and 16, the night before and the day she was shot dead outside her residence in Bhopal.

Inspector General of Police Vijay Yadav told reporters that a police team would go to New Delhi to question Tarun Vijay.

In a brief address to the press, Tarun Vijay clarified he knew Masood as she worked as an event manager for them in Kashmir, Kolkata and Delhi.

“Shehla Masood as an event manager had worked with us in several projects. We knew her, she was a brave RTI activist, a very good friend, she was a campaigner and convenor for India Against Corruption. We were regularly exchanging notes,” he said, refusing to take any questions on grounds that the matter was under investigation.

“Even on 16th morning when Anna was arrested, we had spoken in the morning at 9.30 a.m. about Anna Hazare, about the movement, about the demonstration,” he said.

“It is very sad, it has hurt us deeply to know about her murder, we want justice for Shehla.”
Masood, an anti-corruption crusader and Right to Information activist, was shot in the neck outside her home in the Koh-e-Fiza area on the morning of Aug 16.

Masood headed the Madhya Pradesh chapter of India Against Corruption group. In April, she led protests when Gandhian Anna Hazare fasted in New Delhi for the first time.

The day before her murder, Masood had pledged to expose widespread corruption and that she had several vital documents to back her claims.

Demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh said the circumstances in which Masood was murdered were suspicious.

Tarun Vijay should himself demand an enquiry in the issue, he said."Now that Tarun Vijay's name has come up in this case, I think Tarun Vijay and the chief minister (BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan) both should hand over the case to CBI," Digvijay Singh told reporters here.
"It is a brutal murder. The way Shehla Masood was murdered, it is in fact very sad. And it is very surprising that this killing took place during the daytime around 11 a.m. in a locality where VIPs stay. A thorough investigation should be done into the case. We have demanded a CBI inquiry into it," he said.

"In BJP ruled states, RTI activists are being attacked. This is really sad. CBI should probe the case. Everything needs to be clarified," added his colleage and Congress general secretary B.K. Hariprasad.