Magisterial probe ordered into twins’ abduction, murder in Madhya Pradesh

Authorities on Tuesday ordered a magisterial probe into the alleged police lapses in the investigations into the kidnapping of six-year-old twins from their school bus at Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh Satna district on February 12. The bodies of the two were recovered on Sunday from the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district even as their kidnappers received Rs 20 lakh ransom instead of Rs 2 crore they had demanded.

Satna district collector Satendra Singh ordered the probe after the twins’ father, Brijesh Rawat, alleged they could have been saved had the police raided the premises of a local trust, where the boys were reportedly kept. Rawat alleged the twins were taken to Uttar Pradesh in a vehicle, which carried a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flag, and that Ram Rajya was written on its number plate instead of the registration number.

Police allegedly did not check the vehicle at Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border because of the BJP flag even as Chitrakoot was on high alert following the kidnapping.

BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal said chief minister Kamal Nath and top police officers have been talking about the flag since the arrest of the kidnappers to deflect attention from their failure in saving the twins. “They must answer who stopped the police from taking action against the criminals. The fact is the state is facing anarchism and murders... loots and kidnappings have become the order of the day since the Congress came to power [in December].” Officials said the role of the school management would also be looked into to see whether adequate arrangements were made for children travelled from and to their homes.