Ex-Trinamool minister demands CBI probe into brother's death

Alleging that Trinamool Congress MP and his elder brother Kapil Krishna Thakur's death was the result of a conspiracy, Manjul Krishna Thakur - who resigned the West Bengal cabinet to join the BJP - has demanded a CBI probe into his death.

"I think my elder brother did not die a natural death. There was some conspiracy. I demand a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of death," Manjul Krishna said here Thursday.

Manjul Krishna Thakur, who held the refugee, relief and rehabilitation portfolio in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cabinet, announced his resignation from the ministry and the Trinamool Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alongside his son Subrata Thakur.

Kapil Krishna Thakur's wife, however, questioned the timing of the demand.

"If he (Manjul Krishna Thakur) felt so, then a CBI inquiry should have been held soon after my husband died. Just because he has left the party, is that the reason he is saying all these," asked Kapil Krishna Thakur's widow Mamata Bala Thakur, who has been named the Trinamool candidate for the coming Bongao Lok Sabha by-polls Feb 13.

Kapil Krishna Thakur, the eldest son of the influential Matua community leader Binapani Debi Thakurani (Baroma) and the 'sanghadhipati' of Matua Mahasangha, died at a private hospital her Oct 13 last year.