The Hindu : New Delhi News : Phoolan’s sister says Umed hatched the plot

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Thursday, Oct 11, 2007
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New Delhi

Phoolan’s sister says Umed hatched the plot

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Munni Devi, sister of the slain Member of Parliament Phoolan Devi who had been declared a hostile witness in the long-running murder case, told a sessions court here on Wednesday that her sister’s husband, Umed Singh, had hatched the conspiracy to get her killed.

Deposing before Additional Sessions Judge V.K. Bansal, Munni Devi said Umed Singh had political ambitions. She told the court that Phoolan had told her for the first time in 1997 that there was danger to her life from Umed and then six months before her murder took place on July 25, 2001.

To a query by the defence counsel, Munni told the court that it was correct that Umed wanted to contest election from Phoolan’s constituency and it led to frequent quarrels between the bandit-turned-politician and her husband. She also told the court that her sister did not want Umed to contest because he was not a man of good character.

Phoolan’s sister further said that Umed would lure her and Constable Balinder Singh, an eyewitness in the case, by saying that he would facilitate their entry into politics if he contested election from Phoolan’s constituency.

Munni Devi had been declared hostile by the prosecution when she retracted from her earlier statement in which she had said prime accused Sher Singh Rana was one of the assailants.

The hostile witness told the court again that Rana could not have been the assailant as he was present in the office and not at the entrance gate of 44 Ashok Road -- the official residence of Phoolan Devi where she was shot dead.

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