Meher 'murderer' escapes encounter

Lucknow: In what comes as a step forward in the Meher Bhargava murder case, Congress leader Luv Bhargav's driver has identified Sunny Rawat.

The UP police had arrested him from Chhitwapur earlier in the day.

In a statement to the police, Luv Bhargav alleges that Sunny Rawat shot his wife outside her house on February 28.

Earlier the police had premised that Sachin Pahadi had killed Meher Bhargava.

In fact, Pahadi had been shot in an encounter with the UP police in Lucknow on Tuesday afternoon, but had escaped.

According to the police, Pahadi was shot at in the Kaiserbagh area of the city, but he managed to escape. Police, however, claim to have arrested three of his accomplices.

Police also claim that Sachin was injured in the shootout and they are combing the area to find him.

"It was a close encounter in a narrow lane. We have arrested three people and have offered a reward of Rs 20,000 on Pahadi," SSP, Lucknow, Ashutosh Pandey.

"Sachin Pahadi, had information about the police movement. Sachin Pahadi alias Ranjit alias Karki alias Abhay alias Dinesh hails from Pittoragarh in Uttranchal. He has four cases registered against him at different places in UP," he added.

Pandey also said Pahari might have been hit by four-to-five bullet. With the arrest of one more person on Wednesday, the SSP said that total number of arrested have risen to three in this case.

Police had specific information that Pahari had been hiding in Lucknow for the last couple of days, he said.

He said the encounter was a 'close one' and the entire area had been cordoned off as Pahari could be hiding in a house in the area. Police had taken enough precautions as it was a crowded area and they had to exercise restrain while exchanging fire, Pandey said.

Pahari was a 'hardened criminal' and used several aliases and was wanted in connection with several cases of murders and extortion, he added.

Police also raided a flat, which had been alotted to a local journalist where Pahari and his associates were believed to be hiding. He said Pahari used to make telephone calls from this flat.

Pandey said that Pahari was familiar with the topography of the area as he used to file tenders for getting contract for running cycle and motor bike stands near the cinema hall.

The police was under flak from various quarters for sloppy investigation in the case and two sub-inspecors had been suspended on charges of laxity.

The district police was being assisted by the Special Task Force (STF) in the investigation, which was being supervised by the Inspector General O P Tripathi.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was monitoring the pace of investigation, especially after being criticised by almost the entire opposition including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Meanwhile, two sub-inspectors attached with Hazratganj police station here have been suspended for failing to promptly investigate the attack on Meher Bhargava.

The police administration on Tuesday night suspended senior sub-inspector D C Dubey and sub-inspector K M Rai of Hazratganj police station for 'failing to act promptly in investigating and solving the case', a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

The government had already directed the Lucknow zone Inspector-General of Police to conduct an inquiry into the case, he said.

Meher was shot at and seriously injured outside her house, close to the SSP's residence in Lucknow, on February 28 when she protested some youth passing lewd remarks against her daughter-in-law.

She was rushed to Apollo Hosptial in New Delhi where she died on March 25.

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a dharna at the Sardar Patel Park in Lucknow on Wednesday to protest police failure in arresting the killers of Meher Bhargava, wife of senior Congress leader Lav Bhargava.

Led by incharge of the party affairs in the state Ashok Gehlot and UPCC President Salman Khursheed, the dharna would highlight the rampant 'jungle raj' in the state and failure of the police force in nabbing the assailants of Meher, a party release said.

(With inputs from Agencies)