Sarla Mishra case: Brother files fresh complaint seeking FIR against high profile-persons (Ld)

Bhopal, May 19 (IANS) The decades-old case surrounding the death of Congress leader Sarla Mishra has taken a dramatic turn with fresh legal developments. On Monday, her brother, Anurag Mishra, filed a formal complaint at TT Nagar police station in Bhopal to register an FIR against the then police officers, forensic expert and others.

The complaint and subsequent FIR, if lodged, further intensified a political controversy that had long faded into oblivion. The case was already revived following a local court order for re-investigation.

His complaint directly targets former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, his younger brother Laxman Singh along with police officers, forensic experts, and other officials, alleging their involvement in covering up what he insists was a murder.

Responding to the complaint, station in-charge Mansingh assured a thorough re-investigation.

Speaking to IANS, Mishra stated that he had submitted an application to senior police officers requesting compliance with the court order directing reinvestigation.

"But nothing has been done so far. On the advice of my lawyer, I filed a complaint to register an FIR (First Information Report) against the individuals named in the court order," he said. Mishra had previously filed a protest petition against the ‘closure report’ submitted by the police.

The local court responded by pointing out significant shortcomings in the investigation. Sarla Mishra’s tragic death occurred on February 14, 1997, when she suffered fatal burn injuries at her residence in TT Nagar, Bhopal. Initially classified as a suicide, the case was closed by the police in 2000.

However, last month, the court rejected the police's closure report, citing glaring investigative flaws and ordering a fresh probe.

The decision followed Anurag Mishra's protest petition, which challenged the earlier conclusions. The Bhopal court, presided over by Class-I magistrate Palak Rai, mandated a renewed inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Sarla Mishra’s death, highlighting inadequacies in the original investigation.

The court had found that key forensic procedures -- including independent verification of her alleged dying statement and fingerprint analysis at the crime scene -- had been neglected. Additionally, crucial evidence, such as handwritten notes, had not been properly examined.

Hailing from Narmadapuram, Sarla Mishra was a firebrand state Youth Congress leader. On February 14, 1997, she was found severely burned inside her government house in Bhopal. She died at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi during treatment on February 19, 1997.

The TT Nagar police of Bhopal district, after a three-year-long probe, concluded it to be a case of suicide and closed the probe into the case in 2000.

The closure report, however, was filed by the police in court more than 19 years later in Bhopal.

Her brother, Anurag, petitioned against the closure report and alleged that it was a case of murder.

On April 17, Anurag Mishra said: “My elder brother Anand Mishra met Sarla two or three days before the February 14, 1997 incident, when my sister told him about growing bitterness and differences between her, then Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and his brother Laxman Singh. Why didn’t the police record my elder brother’s statements?”

--IANS

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