LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI, 18 May 2003 — Bowing to political pressure and media sensation, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati removed State Stamp Minister Amar Mani Tripathi from her Cabinet yesterday. Reports about Tripathi’s alleged relationship with poetess Madhumita Shukla (24) being responsible for her murder on May 9 compelled Mayawati to take this step. “The minister is being removed to prevent the opposition parties, who are leveling baseless charges, from taking political advantage of the matter,” Mayawati said.
She also announced the removal of Senior Superintendent of Police (Lucknow) Anil Aggarwal as Madhumita’s family members had accused him of tampering with evidence. Confronting charges of the UP government delaying investigation into the case, Mayawati announced that the case had been handed over to the Crime Branch CID, which has been directed to submit its report within a month. She also said, “If Tripathi is cleared in the CBCID inquiry, he would be reinducted into the ministry. If he is found guilty, I will expel him from the BSP.”
Madhumita was shot dead on May 9 at her River Bank Colony residence in Lucknow by two assailants. She was reportedly six months pregnant.
Within two days of the murder, Madhumita’s sister Nidhi, who stayed with her, accused Tripathi’s wife for the murder, as Madhumita allegedly wanted to marry the minister. In less than 24 hours, she backtracked from the accusation reportedly due to political pressure.
Sources indicate a senior minister contacted her and warned her not to make statements that would implicate Tripathi. Nidhi was threatened with a fate similar to that of Madhumita and later promised 10 million rupees if she kept silent. The senior minister in Mayawati’s government, a Brahmin from western UP, is said to have a close relationship with Nidhi. He was apparently worried that if Tripathi’s involvement came to light, his relationship would also be exposed.
The failure of police to include clinching evidence in the recovery list suggests that it has been functioning under pressure. “It is a tragedy that none of the clinching evidence has so far been shown in the recovery list,” a police officer revealed on condition of anonymity.
The evidence recovered from Madhumita’s Lucknow-apartment includes references to Tripathi as her “husband” in a diary she maintained. She also frequently traveled around with him as Mrs. Tripathi. Of the four cellular SIM cards recovered from Madhumita’s house, two were purchased in Tripathi’s name. The police officer also claimed that a few sets of Tripathi’s clothes were found in her residence and also rail travel coupons worth several thousands of rupees issued to him.
Besides, a friend of Madhumita, Ruby Mishra said, “Madhumita told me that Tripathi had proposed to her, but she had refused to marry him. She was only keen to contest elections from Lucknow. She never spent time with politicians alone so it’s really wrong to cast aspersions on her character.”
Meanwhile, opposition parties have described Tripathi’s removal as farcical. ”I can announce today that Amar Mani will be reinstated into the Cabinet soon,” Samajwadi leader, Amar Singh said.
“The minister has been sacked only after all the evidence regarding the case were destroyed and this proves that the government is not serious and is only shielding him,” opposition leader Azam Khan said.
Referring to Mayawati’s decision to reinduct him, if CBCID investigation cleared his name, Khan said, “It looks as if Tripathi is being sent on a month’s vacation.” He accused the chief minister of making a “mockery” of a serious issue like murder.
The fact that the case has been handed over to Crime Branch CID and not CBI proves that the chief minister is “protecting” Tripathi and is only interested in “prolonging” the case, Congress spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.
Both the Congress and Samajwadi Party have demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.
Tripathi was earlier sacked from the BJP-led Rajnath Singh ministry and later arrested for giving shelter to five kidnappers of a local businessman’s son. He has 33 criminal cases pending against him, five of which are related to murder.
