Pandey probe: CBI team visits Sitamarhi

Ten days after Sitamarhi road construction department executive engineer Yogendra Pandey died...

Ten days after Sitamarhi road construction department executive engineer Yogendra Pandey died after an alleged fall from the roof of the district Collectorate building,a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team arrived in the town for a preliminary inspection of the circumstances of the death.

Pandey,an upright officer known for his uncompromising integrity,had been under threat from the powerful road construction mafia in the district.

The CBI is likely to take over the case.

Additional director-general of police (ADGP),Headquarters,Neelmani told The Indian Express,A CBI team led by joint director SP Singh has visited Siramarhi. The CBI SP,Patna,has accompanied the team. After completing formalities,the agency will take over the case from us.

Story continues below this ad

DIG,Tirhut Range B Srinivasan is currently investigating Pandeys death.

The Express first reported on the suspicions of foul play in the engineers death on June 21,following it up with the revelation that the district police had taken 13 months to act on Pandeys request for police protection. Reports of the second autopsy on the body and forensic sciences lab tests had suggested the engineer had been murdered,and not killed himself by jumping from the Collectorate roof.

The 15-member CBI team,accompanied by forensic specialists visited Sitamarhi SP Chhatranil Singh and district magistrate Vishwanath Singh on Sunday.

Under pressure from multiple quarters,the district police had on Friday attached the properties of Rajiv Singh and Rajesh Singh,aides of Kishore Singh,the proprietor of Vats Construction,a firm blacklisted by Pandey for its poor quality of work.

Story continues below this ad

Rajiv and Rajesh had allegedly accompanied Kishore when he assaulted Pandey at the engineers home on June 6,and have been on the run since then.

Pandeys colleagues have been speaking anonymously of an unscrupulous contractor raj in Sitamarhi. An official who used to be close to Pandey said the contractors would frequently coerce the road construction department to clear payments before completing work,which would invariably be of very poor quality.

Engineer Pandey,however,refused to bow,and would not pay without ensuring the completion and quality of the work.

It has been alleged that the purported suicide note found on Pandey was not written by him. The writing,on a torn-off piece from an agreement purportedly signed by Pandey,ended well above the signature. Pandeys family has said the engineer did not normally write in English.