Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger brother and former minister Shivpal Yadav has said that incidents like the Noida serial killings are common.
"Such incidents have been happening in the state in the past as well; however what merits appreciation was the fact that the UP police has worked out the case so quickly," Shivpal told media persons during a visit to Noida on Thursday morning.
"You can see that we have also taken prompt punitive action against officials who were guilty of neglect," said, referring to the dismissal of six police persons.
Shivpal is the first senior representative from the UP government to visit the place.
Shivpal handed over cheques of Rs 5,00,000 to the families. He also visited prime accused Moninder Singh Pandher's bungalow.
The chief minister's brother who was holding charge of three key portfolios -- public works, energy and agriculture marketing -- also ruled out the need for a CBI probe.
"Where is the need for it when our policemen are already doing a swift job," he said.
Flaying him for his remarks, UP Congress chief Salman Khurshid said, "It is shocking to find the chief minister's brother, who was also the most powerful minister in the state, to be saying that such incidents were not uncommon in the state."
He said: "Instead of expressing remorse over what had happened, the minister was only patting his own back for taking action against his own officials."
Bhartiya Janata Pary state chief Kshrinath Tripathi termed the action against cops as eyewash.
Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary Satish Misra said: "Action against the police officials was taken in a haste only to preempt the probe ordered by the centre and to avoid a CBI inquiry."
He said: "I would not be surprised if the government was deliberately laving enough technical lacunae to insure that the dismissed and suspended officials managed to get judicial relief; after all most of these officials were handpicked by the chief minister and his brother."
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