Logo

Logo

# Cities

NIA takes over Kanpur principal’s murder case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the murder of Kanpur-based retired junior high school principal Ramesh Babu Shukla,…

IANS | New Delhi | November 20, 2017 6:07 pm

NIA takes over Kanpur principal’s murder case

(Photo: nia.gov.in)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the murder of Kanpur-based retired junior high school principal Ramesh Babu Shukla, who was killed by unidentified persons last year, an official said on Monday.

The anti-terror agency filed an FIR on Sunday and took over the case from the Uttar Pradesh Police following the Home Ministry’s November 17 order, almost a year after the murder.

Advertisement

The agency re-registered the case which was earlier registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police on October 24, 2016, under sections of the murder of Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Advertisement

Shukla, a retired principal of Swami Atmaprakash Brahmchari Junior High School in Kanpur, was killed on October 24, 2016, by unidentified persons at around 12.30 p.m near village Piwadi in Kanpur while returning home on a bicycle.

The state government had also recommended the NIA probe after it emerged that Shukla might have been killed by four accused in the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast case.

An NIA official confirmed the registration of FIR at the agency’s Lucknow unit and said the train blast accused had admitted to their involvement in the murder.

The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested two persons, Atif Muzaffar and Mohammad Danish, after Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train blast earlier this year. Their associate Faisal Khan was with them at the time of the murder.

Muzaffar, according to police, told them that Danish, Faisal and he were testing a.30 calibre pistol when they accidentally fired a bullet that hit Shukla.

A ballistic test report later corroborated this evidence, police had said. The NIA, which investigated the train blast, chargesheeted Muzaffar and Danish and also alleged that Muzaffar and Danish had killed Shukla.

Advertisement

Related posts

# India

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.