Opposition parties demand probe into Batcha’s death

He said there could be something more than a mere suicide and insisted that the presence of a suicide note was not enough.

In reply to a question on whether Batcha could have been killed,Ahluwalia said,”It could be murder as those involved in the 2G spectrum scam want to get rid of those who can become witnesses.”

CPI (M)’s reaction

Meanwhile,the CPI (M)’s Tamil Nadu unit asked the CBI to conduct detailed investigations into the death of former Telecom Minister A Raja’s close aide Sadiq Batcha.

“The death of Sadiq Batcha has raised many questions. Has he committed suicide or was he killed… We strongly request the CBI to conduct a detailed probe…,” CPI (M) state Secretary G Ramakrishnan said in a statement.

The CBI should reveal the real reason behind his death to the public and also ensure that the accused in the 2G Spectrum allocation scam not escape,he said.

Jayalalitha’s reaction

AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Wednesday expressed doubts over the mysterious death of Sadiq Batcha,asking whether it was murder or “forced suicide” and sought protective cover for the DMK leader now in judicial custody.

“This is the issue that has to be ascertained by the CBI. If there is any reluctance on the part of the CBI,then both the Supreme Court and the JPC should step in and issue the necessary directives,” she said in a statement.

She said the death of Batcha under mysterious circumstances did not come as a surprise to people who knew the “DMK’s style of internal justice.”

A similar fate could await other key witnesses in the 2-G spectrum scam investigations,particularly if they were from Tamil Nadu,she said.

“If the CBI and the Supreme Court are really keen on unearthing the whole truth behind this colossal scam,it would be better to keep all such witnesses under CBI or judicial custody till the investigations are over,” she said.

“A protective cover has to be provided to Raja,the main accused in the case. Otherwise he could also go the Sadiq Batcha way. After all,the main objective of the DMK is to keep the CBI from getting closer to the Karunanidhi family members in this case,” she alleged.

Manithaneya Makkal Katchi

Manithaneya Makkal Katchi,an ally of the Opposition AIADMK,said the death has “shocked” the entire nation. “People will not believe that his death is a suicide,” party President M H Jawahirullah said in a statement,adding,a CBI team should be formed to investigate the death.

In an unexpected twist in the 2G spectrum probe,47-year-old Batcha died in mysterious circumstances in Chennai on Wednesday with his family claiming it as a suicide as he was “unable to cope with the pressure” of the probe in the 2G case.

Batcha,was managing director of Green House Promoter Private Limited and a close associate of Raja. He was reportedly in the know about several transactions related to the 2G spectrum allocation.

The CBI has termed Batcha’s death as “unexpected” and said it would have no effect on the probe in 2G scam.

He had been earlier questioned by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate separately,and was rumoured to be contemplating becoming a witness in the case.