Bhopal, July 26 (The Telegraph): Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, furious at Digvijaya Singh's Vyapam scam salvos, has reportedly sought legal opinion on a possible CBI probe into the 1997 murder of a lady whose family had pointed fingers at the Congress leader and his brother Laxman.

Congress leader Sarla Mishra, in her mid-thirties, had died under mysterious circumstances in Bhopal on February 14, 1997, when Digvijaya was chief minister. Sarla's brothers Anand and Anurag recently met Chouhan demanding a CBI inquiry.

Sources said Chouhan summoned the state police chief, home secretary and other senior officials and had them present a case summary. It was then decided to consult top criminal lawyers to see if a CBI probe could be recommended. "The role of Digvijaya Singh and his brother Laxman needs to be investigated thoroughly," Anand said today.

Digvijaya has so far not reacted to the allegation. Sources close to him claimed he had sought a CBI probe as chief minister but the request was turned down by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Chouhan is deeply upset with Digvijaya, describing the Congress general secretary as a "born conspirator". Digvijaya, a two-time chief minister between 1993 and 2003, has hit back and alleged the Vyapam scam money was pumped into the "Dubai real estate business" by some individuals considered close to Chouhan.

Sarla, who had been active in state Congress circles, was found burnt at her home. In her dying declaration, she had said she was upset over repeated failures in her political career, prompting her to set herself ablaze. But Anurag, her other brother, alleged the declaration was written in the absence of family members and the handwriting did not match hers.

Anand denied his demand for CBI probe has anything to do with the Vyapam scam tussle. He claimed that as chief minister, Digivijaya had told the Assembly in 1997 that he would recommend a CBI probe but did nothing later.

Activist wife

The wife of Vyapam scam whistleblower Prashant Pandey was briefly detained by police, who seized Rs 9.96 lakh in cash from her alleging it was "hawala" money.

Pandey said the cash belonged to his family and was mentioned in their tax returns. "We live in a rented flat. We were supposed to give Rs 10 lakh to a builder to book a flat." Pandey, who has filed a petition in the Supreme Court on the scam, said his family was being harassed at the behest of the state government.

Photo credit: The Telegraph