Was Raja aide murdered?

Sources say Sadiq Batcha, who was found hanging in his Chennai home on wednesday, could have provided vital clues to CBI linking the former telecom minister to 2G Scam. Opposition parties have demanded a probe

The first question most people were asking after Sadiq Batcha's body was found hanging at his Chennai home was, "Has he left the CBI's 2G spectrum scam probe in limbo?" The investigating agency reacted quickly, saying that it was an "unexpected development" but maintained that it would not affect ongoing investigations.
"His demise is unexpected but it will not affect the ongoing investigations in 2G spectrum scam as all evidence has already been recorded," the spokesperson said.

Mysterious death: Sadiq Batcha (right) was to appear before the CBI on
Wednesday, and sources say he had expressed willingness to turn approver.
File Pic

The police claiming the death was a suicide has failed to scotch rumours of foul play. Opposition parties including the BJP and Left have demanded a thorough probe into the matter. That's because Batcha was said to be a key witness in the case. His death comes at a crucial time when the CBI is planning to file a charge sheet against Raja by March 31 in the Supreme Court.u00a0

Batcha was the Managing Director of Green House, a real estate company, which came under the CBI scanner for reportedly serving as a front for Raja, who was arrested in February and is currently lodged in Central Jail Tihar here for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam.

CBI had searched the residence and offices of Batcha on December 15, 2010. "There was no pressure from CBI on Sadiq Batcha. He was cooperating with the Bureau and was last questioned in February 2011 in Delhi," a CBI spokesperson said.

A few minutes after the news broke out on Wednesday, Police Commissioner of Chennai, T Rajendran held a press conference and said: "He was brought dead to the Apollo Hospital at about 1:30 pm. The family says he had hanged himself. Police is yet to verify anything. We are investigating." Hospital sources said the body would be taken to a government hospital for post-mortem.

Both CBI and ED were probing the possibility of Batcha's firms acting as a front for the former minister. Both the agencies have questioned him earlier in connection with the case. Sources, meanwhile, said that Batcha was probably going to be arrested sometime soon in connection with the scam. In fact there were also reports that he had to board a flight to Delhi on Wednesday morning for another questioning session by the CBI in Delhi.
"This has raised eyebrows of everyone who has any interest in the probe of the scam and everyone is now looking at it from the angle of foul play, which has not been ruled out yet by the Chennai police," sources said.
"A CBI probe is necessary to ascertain the reason of sudden death of one of the chief operators of 2G scam," BJP's national spokesman Prakash Javadekar told reporters in Guwahati.

"Although we will like to comment after the post mortem report is published, the government should probe into the death," he said.Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, a petitioner in the 2G spectrum case, Wednesday sought a CBI inquiry into the death."The CBI should look into Batcha's death. After all, he was under their scanner," Swamy told reporters in Delhi.

47-year-old Batcha was reportedly found hanging from the roof of the bedroom of his house in Vannia Teynampet in south Chennai by his wife and his driver at around 1 pm. Chennai Police Commissioner Rajendran also said that he didn't want to comment on the murder angle. "I won't speculate on that," he said.

Rehana Banu, Batcha's wife accompanied by a relative, drove to Teynampet police station in the evening and filed a complaint, the details of which have not been releases. While she avoided the waiting media in Chennai, a senior police official said on condition of anonymity that Bhanu said in her complaint that she and her driver had seen Batcha's body hanging from the roof in the bedroom of their house.

Friends
Shahid Balwa, MD of DB Realty, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail after being arrested by the CBI in connection with the 2G scam probe, has told the agency that he knew Batcha for the past several years.

Who was Sadiq Batcha?
Sadiq Batcha was considered a key link to the 2G tangle as he could have provided the investigating agencies with vital clues linking former telecom minister A Raja to the scam.Batcha hailed from Raja's constituency Perambalur in south Tamil Nadu and was accused along with Shahid Balwa of DB Realty of making investments for the DMK MP in real estate.A small time sari-seller, Batcha was introduced to Raja in the late 1990s and he currently headed several real estate firms. He was the promoter of Chennai-based real estate company Greenhouse Promoters Private Limited, which was formed barely four months after Raja became a cabinet minister. Batcha was under the CBI scanner for routing money to Swan Telecom, an alleged beneficiary of 2G scam. Balwa had reportedly admitted to having known him. Batcha became one of Raja's trusted associates and he stood by the former minister even when he lost the election in 1998.

Why Raja is important for DMK
Despite immense pressure, DMK had taken a long time to make Andimuthu Raja resign from the Union Cabinet. The reason, his party members said, was that 47-year-old Raja was DMK's Dalit face and they felt that he was being targeted by the upper caste media. However, opposition parties had said that it was because Raja was protecting Karunanidhi's family, which they alleged is the ultimate beneficiary of the scam. It is said that DMK chief Karunanidhi's soft corner for Raja goes way back to the times when the advocate-turned-politician Raja was a student leader of Dravidar Kazhagam, DMK's parent body. Over time, Raja became the most visible Dalit face of the DMK. He is believed to have worked his way up the ranks after becoming the party's district legal cell member. His big moment came in 1996, when his district unit, proposed his name to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the reserved constituency. Though he made his mark as a minister even in the NDA government, it has been alleged that it was his show of unflinching loyalty to the party and not becoming a threat to the 'family control' which helped him rise up the ranks. Also, it is believed that his coming close to the third wife of Karunanidhi and the mother of DMK MP Kanimozhi, made him the blue-eyed boy of the party chief.

Idiot's guide on 2G spectrum scam
*u00a0In 2008, 2G spectrum licences were issued to private telecom players
* The CAG said rules and procedures were flouted while issuing licenses and the same had cost the government Rs. 1.76 lakh crore
Former Telecom Minister A Raja was accused of :
*u00a0Pegging entry fee for spectrum licenses in 2008 at 2001 prices even though the mobile subscriber base had shot up to 350 million in 2008 from 4 million in 2001
*u00a0u00a0Advancing by a week cut-off u00a0date for applications
*u00a0Issuing licenses on first-come-first-served basis and not following proper auction process
* Ignoring advice of TRAI, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry as TRAI had recommended
auctioning of spectrum at market rates
The minister was also accused of showing favouritism as:
* Unitech, Swan Telecom got u00a0licenses without any prior telecom experience
* Swan Telecom was given u00a0license even though it did not meet eligibility criteria
* Unitech Wireless got license for Rs. 1661 crore, sold 60 per cent stake for Rs. 6200 crore

Batcha wanted to turn approver?
Sadiq Batcha, close aide of A Raja and managing director of Green House Promoters Pvt Ltd, was to appear before the CBI for questioning on Wednesday, and sources close to his family have said he had expressed willingness to be an approver, on Tuesday night.u00a0

Body of evidence: The body of Sadiq Batcha being taken away from
his residence in Chennai. Pic/Mid Day

"While he had already given some information to the CBI, he had some crucial evidence with him that would definitely have put some important people into trouble," said the source. "He was fed up with the recent developments and wanted to come out of it once and for all."In the suicide note recovered, Batcha has said Raja and his wife are innocent and no one was responsible for his extreme step, while he was tired of the inquiries and questionings.

A police officer, who is part of the investigations, said, "It is interesting that the suicide note particularly mentions Raja and his wife. The note is written as if the torturous inquiry had pushed him to commit suicide, and I think this is an important point upon which our investigation is focusing on." Sahkeel Ahmed, Chennai's additional commissioner of police, did not rule out the possibility of foul play in the incident. "We are examining the case from all possible angles and we can corroborate the circumstantial evidence with the case once we get the forensic and post-mortem reports."

Family sources said Batcha came home late on Tuesday night and he was talking to them past midnight. He seemed in control of his emotions and showed no signs of panic or distress. Of course, he was not happy that he had to appear before the CBI the following day. His wife Rehana Banu said he was normal in the morning before she left to bring their kid from school. "I returned home along with the child from school at around 12 noon. Our bedroom door was locked from the inside and I finally opened it with the help of the neighbours. I was shocked to see him hanging. We rushed him to Apollo Hospital and they said he was brought dead."
(Inputs from Chennai: Ramesh Kanteerava)

Fodder for thought
The Rs 950 crore Fodder Scam that surfaced in 1996u00a0 in which former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and various Bihar ministers and officials were alleged to be involved, sawu00a0 seven people connected with it die unnatural deathsu00a0
July 4, 1998: An animal husbandry department (AHD)u00a0 employee Uma Shankar Prasadu00a0 is run over by a truck in Ranchi
June 12, 1998: Petitioner in scam Vivekanand Sharma is shot dead in Ranchi
May 15, 1997: AHD doctor Ram Raj Singh is run over by a truck in Patna
May 7, 1997: AHD supplier Harish Khandelwal'su00a0 headless body is found near rail track
December 26, 1996: AHD employee J.N. Tiwari is run over by a truck in Daltonganj
December 20, 1996: Manu Munda, driver of one of the accused is abducted and killed in Patna
November 19, 1996: AHD assistant director Lala V. Mohanu00a0 is run over by a truck in Jamshedpur

How A Raja was arrested
Oct 22, 2009: Based on a reference from the Central Vigilance Commission, CBI files FIR against unidentified officials of the Department of Telecommunications in relation to the 2G spectrum auction.
Nov first week, 2010: Media publishes contents of CAG report on the 2G spectrum auction that said public exchequer had suffered a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore under Raja in 2008.
Nov 9, 2010: Opposition demands JPC probe into the scandal as Parliament's winter session begins.
Nov 14: Raja submits his resignation to PM, claims he did no wrong.
Nov 16: CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation tabled in Parliament
Dec 8: CBI raids house of Raja and premises of his former aides Siddhartha Behura and RK Chandolia in New Delhi. It also raids houses and offices of Raja's relatives, associates and some journalists and social workers in Tamil Nadu.
Dec 15: The CBI raids houses and offices of Niira Radia, a corporate lobbyist linked with Raja. She is subsequently questioned by the CBI.
Dec 24: CBI questions Raja in New Delhi.
Dec 25: Raja's quizzed for the second consecutive day.
Jan 31, 2011: CBI questions Raja again.
Feb 2: CBI arrests Raja, Chandolia and Behura.

Straight talk
Ravi Shankar Prasad
Spokesperson, BJP
The news of Sadiq Batcha's death is very disturbing. He was a key man in the probe. This raises several questions. There were reports that he could turn approver. The agency must inquire (into it) and answer.

Sharad Yadav
President, JD(U)
The death of Sadiq Batcha appears mysterious. The matter should be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation as the people involved in the scam may be behind this.

Jayanthi Natarajan
Spokesperson, Congress
It would be wise to be restrained in reacting on the incident. Before all the details are out, reading any conspiracy theory would be wrong. It would be better if the BJP is a little more responsible in reactions.