UP govt not to sack minister accused of killing scribe

Notwithstanding the flak it has been receiving over continuance of Minister of State Rammurti Singh Verma, an accused in the killing of social media journalist Jagendra Singh, the Akhilesh Yadav government on Monday categorically said the minister would not be removed without a proper and thorough inquiry.

“No minister will be removed without inquiry,” said senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and minister for PWD Shivpal Singh Yadav while speaking to reporters here.

Yadav cited the examples of some ministers who had been sacked in the past following allegations but were later given clean chit in the investigation. “Raghuraj Pratap Singh was found innocent in the CBI probe,” he added.

Raghuraj Singh was sacked after his name cropped up in the murder of a senior cop in Pratapgarh a few years ago. “It is the job of the opposition parties to level allegations....in politics, decisions cannot be taken on the basis of mere allegations,” Yadav remarked.

The family of the slain journalist has embarked on an indefinite dharna demanding the immediate arrest of the minister and CBI probe into the matter.