Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan faced more heat today over Vyapam scam after a woman trainee sub-inspector recruited by the state board was found dead in a lake, with Congress demanding his immediate sacking and an impartial probe.
Adding to the string of deaths since the past two days, the body of trainee sub-inspector Anamika Sikarwar (25) was found in a lake adjacent to the Police Training Academy at Sagar district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh.
It came after the unexplained death of journalist Akshay Singh who was covering Vyapam scam in Jhabua while Jabalpur Medical College Dean Arun Sharma, probing fake examinees, was found dead in a hotel at Dwarka in south-west Delhi .
Sagar City Superintendent of Police Gautam Solanki said they suspect Anamika's death to be a case of suicide.
She was selected as a sub-inspector in an exam conducted by Vyapam but police said that her selection has nothing to do with Vyapam scam and she was not a suspected beneficiary.
The Chief Minister quickly denied that the incident was linked to the Vyapam probe.
"It is sad and unfortunate incident. But with all responsibility I say that there is no connection of that unfortunate incident with Vyapam or its probe. And it is not fair to link all such unfortunate incidents with Vyapam," he said.
Congress, which has sought a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe, stepped up its attack on Chouhan, demanding that he be sacked to allow an impartial investigation and said that he cannot escape responsibility for the "45 deaths".
"Shivraj Singh Chouhan should be sacked and an impartial probe should be done in the Vyapam scam," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in New Delhi.
Congress spokesperson P C Chacko said that there are serious allegations against people close to Chouhan besides the family itself.
"The CM should ask for a CBI probe into the matter if he feels that he is in the clear," Chacko said.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh alleged that the death of the woman trainee sub-inspector was linked to the scam.
"Training Cop recruited through Vyapam commits suicide in Sagar Police Academy MP. 46th or 47th (sic)IJ," he tweeted.
The reference was to mysterious deaths of 45 persons since the massive scam in recruitment by Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), known by its Hindi acronym 'Vyapam', came to light.
TV journalist Akshay Singh had died on Saturday under mysterious circumstances soon after he had interviewed the parents of a girl who was found dead after her name figured in the massive admission and recruitment scandal. Dean Arun Sharma was found dead yesterday.
Chacko said the "Chief Minister cannot be spared and should take responsibility" along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Prime Minister should explain and take moral responsibility for what is happening in the country," he said addressing reporters at the Congress headquarters here.
Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram insisted that Madhya Pradesh government recommend a CBI investigation before the "next unnatural death", stressing the "buck stops with the Executive".
"lessons of #Vyapam : 1) Court monitoring does not guarantee independent investigation. Buck stops with the Executive. MP Government must order CBI investigation before the next unnatural death," he said on microblogging site Twitter.
Amid mounting attack by Congress, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the "Home Minister is concerned and that is why he has spoken to the Chief Minister for the action".
"Details will be known. I don't know about status of the enquiry," he said.
The BJP said the state government has no problem in handing over the probe to any agency considered suitable by the Jabalpur High Court and Supreme Court.
"The matter had been examined repeatedly by both the Jabalpur High Court and the Supreme Court, and they always expressed and reposed their faith in the investigation by STF under the monitoring and supervision of SIT, constituted by the High Court," party spokesperson GVl Narasimha Rao said.
"The state government would be over stepping its jurisdiction and the conduct would be highly improper for the state government to ask for a probe by any other agency without permission from court.
The entire probe is being done by SIT under the supervision of a retired judge. So state government has no role to play whatsoever in the investigation," he said.
BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh rejected allegations of the Congress on the recent deaths. MP Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra today said the death of Dean Arun Sharma is not related to Vyapam scam.
Police in Sagar said Anamika, the trainee sub-inspector, was married and a resident of Morena district. She was found missing from her room and later her body was found in the lake.
Police have sealed her room in the academy and so far no suicide note has been found. The exact cause will be known after a probe, SP Solanki said adding initial investigations are on in the case.
Many accused and witnesses have died so far in Vyapam scam, a massive admission and recruitment racket allegedly involving several bureaucrats and politicians.
The most high-profile of them was Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav. Shailesh, 50, was found dead at his father's residence in Mall Avenue area of lucknow on March 25 this year.
Ram Naresh Yadav, also a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was himself made an accused in the scam before getting relief from court.