Congress hints at involvement of BJP leaders in Shehla Masood's murder

New Delhi, Mar 3 (ANI): Congress General Secretary B. K. Hariprasad on Saturday said that there was a possibility of involvement of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in activist Shehla Masood's murder case.

Speaking to journalists, Hariprasad said it was just a preliminary stage and that more senior leaders of the BJP are likely to be involved in the case.

"From the first day, in the Shehla Masood murder case, names of the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are doing the rounds. Let the probe be completed. To be honest it is nothing new for a BJP-ruled state. Be it Gujarat, Karnataka or Madhya Pradesh, the condition and safety of women here are awful. The whole world knows it," said Hariprasad.

Shehla Masood was found dead wounded by a gunshot inside her car, parked outside her home on 16 August last year. She was on her way to attend an anti-corruption protest.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had recently arrested two persons on February 28, a city-based woman architect, Zahida Parvez and the alleged hired shooter, Irfan alias Shyam in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Hariprasad also dismissed talk of the Congress party being involved in illegal mining in Goa.

"You can ask the BJP. They are the main opposition in Goa and have not raised any issue of illegal mining in the state. As far as mining is concerned, we are very careful of its impact on the environment. Also, people who toil in this field should get better working conditions. So, we were always against illegal mining and will continue to do so," added Hariprasad.

Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat of the Congress party, has been accused of letting flourish an illegal mining racket running into billions of rupees in the state. (ANI)