UP: ED questions ex-UP minister Gayatri Prajapati in sand mining case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati at King George's Medical University here in connection with an illegal sand mining case.

According to sources, Prajapati was quizzed for nearly four hours about his role in awarding the lease of sand quarries to contractors while he was a minister in the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government.

Prajapati, who is under judicial custody in the Lucknow jail in an alleged gangrape case, was recently shifted to the hospital after he complained of ill-health.

The Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) had last week conducted raids at 22 places linked to Prajapati in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, including his residence in Amethi in connection with the case.

The probe agency in January had filed a case against 11 people including IAS officer B Chandrakala, contractor Adil Khan, another officer Moinuddin, SP leader Ramesh Kumar Mishra, his brother Dinesh Kumar Mishra and others under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

On January 5, the CBI had carried out searches at 12 locations in Hamirpur, Jalaun, Noida, Kanpur and Lucknow and in Delhi. Residences of some Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders were also raided by the agency.

( With inputs from ANI )