BJP MP Tarun Vijay to be quizzed in Shehla Masood murder case

BJP MP Tarun Vijay will be questioned by Madhya Pradesh police in connection with the killing of RTI activist Shehla Masood in Bhopal last month.

A police team from the state will soon visit New Delhi in this regard, the police said on Thursday.

"Although it has been decided to question Vijay in connection with Shehla's murder, no date has been fixed for the visit of the police team to New Delhi," Bhopal Range IG Vijay Yadav said on Thursday.

Vijay, who is also spokesperson of BJP, said he was a "very good friend" of Masood and that he was ready to share with any probe agency whatever information he had.

Masood was shot at when she was in her car in front of her residence in the posh Koh-e-Fiza locality in Bhopal on 16^th August when she was just about to head to a rally that was part of Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption.

The Rajya Sabha MP said he and Masood had regularly exchanged notes and demanded that the culprits should be "booked and hanged."

"I think that the whole things got politicised. We stand by the family of Shehla and every right thinking Indian will stand by them," he said in New Delhi on Thursday.

"Whatever information we have, we will be providing to all the investigation agencies, because we are as much concerned to get justice for Shehla," he added.

A communication from the Madhya Pradesh government seeking a CBI probe into the killing has already reached the Centre.

MP BJP President Prabhat Jha told reporters that Vijay may have known Shehla but this itself was not enough to say that he was involved in her murder.

Prabhat said the MP government has already asked the Centre to initiate a CBI inquiry into Shehla's murder.

"I only want that the guilty are not spared and the innocent in the case are not punished," he said.

Vijay said he had talked to Masood last on 16^th August, the day she was murdered in Bhopal.

"She was the campaigner and convenor for Madhya Pradesh for India Against Corruption. We were regularly exchanging notes. Even on 16th August morning, when Anna was arrested we had spoken in the morning at 9.30 am about Anna's arrest, about the movement, about the demonstration. It is very sad," he said.

Vijay admitted that he knew Masood well and her event management company had organised the programmes in different cities on the occasion of the death and birth anniversaries of BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mookerjee.

"Shehla Masood as an event manager and owner of Miracle Company had helped us and worked on several projects in Srinagar, Kolkata and New Delhi. We knew her. She was a brave RTI activist, a very good friend," he said.

Vijay described Masood as a brave, strong activist whose murder has been politicised. He insisted that he would fight till the culprits are brought to book.

"It (Shehla's murder) had hurt us very deepily. We knew her. We want justice for Shehla. Shehla's family is passing through a very difficult time. I think that the whole thing got politicised. We stand by the family of Shehla and every right thinking Indian will stand by them," Vijay said.

He urged people close to Masood to come forward and share information with the investigating agencies.

"We are with them and we will fight it out till the culprits are booked and hanged.... with all our friends we are working vigorously to see that Shehla is provided justice," Vijay said.