Something fishy: Babulal Gaur on SP’S transfer

MADHYA PRADESH

FORMER CHIEF minister and BJP leader Babulal Gaur has questioned his party’s government in Madhya Pradesh over the abrupt transfer of Katni SP Gaurav Tiwari while he was probing a scam. He said that “a message has gone out that there is something fishy’’.

He added that the probe into the alleged hawala scandal was being effectively conducted and had reached an advanced stage. “To transfer the SP at the crucial juncturehasmadepeoplebelieve that someone is being saved,’’ Gaur, who was asked to quit as minister last year because of his advancing age, told The Indian Express.

Tiwari was transferred on January 9 allegedly under pressure from minister Sanjay Pathak. Shashikant Shukla, who enjoys chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s trust having served as his security officer, replaced him.

Gaur referred to Chouhan’s statement that the police probe will continue and added that its outcome depends a lot on the officer heading the probe. Chouhan hasrefusedtoactagainsttheminister “on mere allegations’’ while praising Shukla, a promotee officer. He maintained that the Enforcementdirectoratewasbetter equipped to probe the scam.

Gaur referred to the Vyapam scam and noted that many accused had got bail after the probe was transferred to the CBI.