BJP demands CBI enquiry into AAP leader Santosh Koli's death

Almost three years after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Santosh Koli died in a road accident in Ghaziabad, the BJP on Friday demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government order a CBI enquiry into the case.

"We demand a CBI enquiry into the death of Santosh Koli in a road accident from the Uttar Pradesh government," Delhi unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Satish Upadhyay told reporters here.

"We will also write to UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav over the issue and also meet him, if required," he added.

Koli, once a close associate of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, suffered critical injuries in an accident in Ghaziabad on June 30, 2013 when a speeding car rammed a motorcycle on which she was riding pillion. She succumbed to injuries on August 7, 2013 in a private hospital in Gurgaon.

Accusing Kejriwal of being involved in the hit-and-run incident, Upadhyay said: "There is a conspiracy in the death of Koli, as she was the only person who had all the records of the party."

"At the time of Koli's accident, Kejriwal's personal secretary Kuldeep Panwar was with her. Why didn't he get injured in the accident," Upadhyay asked.

"Even the motorcycle on which they were travelling was burnt," he added.

"Why was she immediately shifted to a hospital in Gurgaon, while there were a number of good hospitals in Ghaziabad and Delhi," the BJP leader said.

"Why had Kejriwal kept the medical and autopsy report of Koli with him and not handed it over to her family," Upadhyay wondered.

When asked why the BJP is raising the issue after such a long gap, Upadhyay said: "During Delhi assembly elections we had demanded the same. Even their parents met us over this issue."

The BJP leader also said that the AAP was known for doing politics on the dead. Citing references, the BJP pointed out the cases of Koli and Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Chauhan, who died during an AAP rally in the national capital last year.

--IANS

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