Shehla murder: Zahida questions CBI clean chit to BJP MLA

She was produced in the court along with another prime accused and her close associate Saba Farooqui,besides the two other accused.In the charge sheet filed against five accused in the special CBI court last month,CBI cleared the Bhopal MLA of any role in the case and listed five persons including interior designer Zahida Pervez and her confidant Saba Farooqui as prime accused apart from Shaquib Ali,Ifran and Tabish.

Admitting,perhaps for first time that she was in relationship with the BJP MLA,Zahida said “Jab mere Dhruvnarayan se sambandh hai aur oose clean chit milee to mujhe bhi milni chahiye…main aropi hoon ho to voh bhi hain na..(If I have had relations with Dhrunarayan and he is given a clean chit then I should also be given the same …If I am accused then he should also be)”.

Singh underwent a lie-detector test at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi on March 24 last.

CBI suspects that since Zahida was jealous of Shehla because of her relationship with the MLA she plotted her murder.

Though Singh was given a clean chit in the case his name was mentioned in the charge sheet in connection with the motive of the killing as he was allegedly having a relationship with both Shehla and Zahida. “I am totally dissatisfied with the charge sheet…I wonder what prompted CBI to make us accused in the case”,Zahida said.

When asked if there was any pressure from the ruling BJP government on the course of investigation,Zahida replied,”My husband used to reach the court on the given date of trial earlier,now he is not even attending calls of others (family members). CBI has been pressurising my family members since I had said that there was santh-gaanth (nexus). CBI sleuths also threatened my family members at my house”,the interior designer said.

Meanwhile,Shaquib Ali ‘Danger’ who allegedly hired contract killers Tabish and Ifran at the behest of Zahida to carry out the hit job on Shehla alleged that they were falsely implicated by CBI in the case.

The CBI had claimed to have recovered a .315 bore country-made pistol and some empty cartridge allegedly used in killing the RTI activist from the residence of Shaqib two months back.

Shehla was shot dead outside her residence on August 16,2011 in koh-e-fiza locality in Bhopal.