Motives Follow Murder

Will the financial dealings of Pramod Mahajan be used by the Union government to rein in theBJP? The Mumbai police is apparently not looking at the "motives" behind the killing of the flamboyant leader by brother Pravin. Instead, central intelligence agencies are probing Pramod’s financial dealings. Since Mahajan is widely regarded as the chief fundraiser for theBJP, it is suspected that his killing may have to do with money matters. Mahajan’s links to a business house that paid a monthly retainer to his brother’s family is also under the scanner. An intelligence official notes that such crimes warrant a look beyond just the incident. "The Mumbai police seems to be satisfied with Pravin’s confession and the evidence it has collected from the scene of the crime. But there are other linkages that may throw up uncomfortable facts," he toldOutlook. According to him, there is no move on the part of the government to file any fresh case, but sensitive information about its political rivals is often used by the party in power to neutralise the Opposition when it plans to raise issues like corruption in the administration. Meanwhile, Pravin’s lawyer plans to approach the Bombay High Court praying for his psychiatric examination by a panel of experts. Pravin’s request for re-evaluating his mental status was rejected thrice by the lower courts. Within days of his arrest, the police had him examined by doctors at a government hospital. They declared that Pravin was normal, and not unstable as alleged by his lawyer.