The Chhattisgarh Government on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the sex CD row allegedly involving PWD Minister Rajesh Munat, said Revenue Minister Prem Prakash Pandey.
Earlier in the day, Munat filed an FIR against State Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel and senior journalist Vinod Verma for allegedly tarnishing his image through a “fake” sex CD, while the State Congress demanded an investigation by an independent agency, under the supervision of the Supreme Court, into the controversy.
The main Opposition party in the State also accused the ruling BJP of curbing Press freedom. “The way the BJP has reacted to the (sex CD) matter, it is clear that a State Government agency cannot probe this issue (honestly). It should be investigated by an independent agency under the supervision of the Supreme Court,” Baghel said at a Press conference.
Munat too had on Friday appealed to Chief Minister Raman Singh and State BJP president Dharamlal Kaushik to get the matter investigated by any agency.
Verma, who was arrested in connection with an extortion and blackmailing case from Ghaziabad by the Chhattisgarh Police on Friday, had claimed that he had a sex CD of the Chhattisgarh Minister.
However, Munat on Friday claimed that the CD in question was fake and urged the Chief Minister to order a probe to unearth the truth.
“The (sex) CD is fake. It is an attempt to malign my image,” he had said.
Police also claimed to have recovered 500 “porn” CDs, a pen drive and a laptop from Verma. A Ghaziabad court had granted the Chhattisgarh Police the transit remand of Verma till October 30.
The Civil line Police in Raipur had arrested two AAP supporters for allegedly blackening Munat’s nameplate while protesting outside his official residence over the row.