Shehla Masood murder: Sushma defends BJP MLA

Bhopal, Mar 4: BJP leader Sushma Swaraj has defended party MLA in Madhya Pradesh Dhruv Narayan Singh, who has been questioned by CBI in connection with the murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood in Bhopal. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha maintained that so far court has not pronounced him guilty in the case. "Till court pronounces a person guilty in a case, the BJP will not form any opinion about the person concerned," she said when asked about Singh's suspected link to the crime.

Swaraj was speaking to reporters on Saturday at Vidisha, her constituency, about 50 km from Bhopal.

"A person cannot be held guilty merely on the basis of media reports or police action," she remarked.

Masood was found murdered in front of her house in the posh Koh-e-Fiza area in Bhopal on August 16 last year.

Singh is understood to have close relations with Masood as well as arrested alleged mastermind Zahida Parvez - an interior designer - which resulted in latter's resentment towards the activist, prompting her to order the killing.

Meanwhile, Youth Congress workers burnt an effigy of the BJP legislator in Bhopal on Saturday and demanded his expulsion from the ruling party.

PTI