The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday summoned for questioning Deva Ram Saini, an officer on special duty to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Saini was summoned in connection with the CBI probe into the suicide of a police officer in Churu district in May.
Vishndutt Vishnoi was the station house officer in Churu who was found hanging at his residence on May 23. The Rajasthan Government had handed over the probe to the CBI in the case.
At the time, it was alleged that Congress MLA Krishna Poonia had harassed Vishnoi, driving him to suicide. The CBI had questioned Poonia in its probe of the Churu SHO's suicide on Monday.
According to reports, Saini was summoned as the CBI is probing the link to the transfers of police officers by the chief minister's office to the Churu suicide. Leaders of the BJP and the BSP have alleged that the officer, who was known for his honesty and hard work, was being pressured by Congress MLA Krishna Poonia, a charge that she has denied.
While not directly connected to the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, the questioning of Saini comes a day after the Rajasthan government notified that it had withdrawn "general consent" for the CBI to conduct raids and investigations, and the agency will now need prior permission from the state. The state government issued a notification requiring the CBI to take prior consent of the state government for investigation of an offence under section three of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.
The BJP has questioned the Rajasthan government's move, saying there is "indirect emergency" in the state. "The way the state government misused the SOG and the ACB and it was afraid of CBI action... There is something fishy," BJP state president Satish Poonia told reporters.
Last week, the BJP demanded the CBI probe the tapping of phones by the Rajasthan government that purportedly uncovered the plot by Sachin Pilot loyalists and the BJP to destabilise the Gehlot government.
