Jaipur(IANS) : The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will probe allegations against senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh about using opium at a party in his house last month.
“After registering a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on Thursday, the case has been forwarded to the CID in Jaipur for investigations,” a police official told IANS.
Singh is alleged to have offered opium at a party in his home in Jasol in Barmer district on Oct 31. A court in Jodhpur on Nov 5 directed Balotra police in Barmer district, over 500 km from here, to probe the allegations.
“The court has asked Balotra police station to investigate the matter against Singh and nine other leaders of his party and file a report soon,” Malam Singh Choudhry, counsel for the petitioner Om Prakash Bishnoi, told IANS.
Bishnoi, a resident of Jodhour, had on Nov 2 filed a complaint in the court of Special Judge, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, against the BJP leader and nine other party leaders seeking action against them for allegedly using opium during a social function.
In the complaint, it was alleged that Singh welcomed his guests by offering them opium.
However, everyone has denied the allegations.
The complainant also named MPs Raghuveer Singh Kaushal and Kailash Meghwal, former president of BJP Rajasthan L.K. Chaturvedi, cabinet ministers of Rajasthan, Narpat Singh Rajvi, Ghanshyam Tiwari and Madan Dilawar and BJP chief whip in Rajasthan Mahaveer Prasad Jain along with two MLAs Jogeshwar Garg and Shankar Singh Rajpurot.
The feast, known as riyan in Rajasthan, was hosted by Singh and attended by a majority of detractors of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Jaswant Singh has always been critical of Raje.
Raje and her loyalists were not invited to the party. As per tradition, saffron milk laced with opium is usually served at a riyan feast.
The Vasundhara Raje government seems to be keeping mum over the issue. However, a section of the BJP feels the controversy has been kicked off by people close to Raje.