Madhya Pradesh president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Prabhat Jha saw himself being dragged into the controversial Shehla Masood murder case on Thursday after a photo showing him with one of the persons arrested by the CBI surfaced in Bhopal.
Mr. Jha was spotted with Shaqib alias “Shaqib Danger,” arrested on Tuesday evening, in a 2011 photo. The accused was seen garlanding and greeting the BJP leader.
Mr. Jha has played down the incident, saying that as a public figure, a lot of people got pictures clicked with him but that did not mean he was associated with every one of them.
Congress: a serious issue
The Congress, however, has jumped on the opportunity, calling it “a serious matter.” It raised the issue in the ongoing session of the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday.
“The photograph shows the BJP president with a criminal, who was arrested by the CBI in the murder of a respected RTI activist. We think it is a serious issue,” said Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ajay Singh.
“Mr. Jha should immediately resign taking moral responsibility. This government is openly patronising and protecting criminals. Last month, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was photographed sharing the stage with wanted criminals,” he said.
Zahida: I confessed under duress
Meanwhile, Zahida Pervez, Bhopal-based architect who was arrested by the CBI two days ago, refuted all allegations levelled against her.
“If the CBI keeps pressuring and harassing me, I will have to admit to a crime I never committed. My phone records would prove my innocence. I have been made an accused just because a criminal has named me,” she is reported to have said.
Local media reports have suggested that the architect ordered Shehla Masood's killing suspecting the latter's relationship with her husband.
A PTI report, citing CBI sources in Delhi, has claimed that a senior BJP MLA is under the CBI scanner in the case.
