'Pankaj's behaviour did not raise suspicion'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 28. The claim of Sher Singh Rana alias Pankaj Singh that he had murdered the Samajwadi Party leader, Phoolan Devi, has come as a surprise to those who have known him for sometime now.

``Pankaj was not the kind of person who could commit a murder,'' said a person who had met him at least six times in the recent past at Phoolan Devi's 44 Ashoka Road residence. ``Soft spoken, mild and shy,'' was how he described Pankaj.

Another person very close to Phoolan said he met

Pankaj everytime he came to Delhi with political activist, Ms. Uma Kashyap. ``He used to be very quiet and always followed instructions with obedience. Even Phoolan Devi liked him and it was in his car that she agreed to be dropped at Parliament,'' he said.

Pankaj, who was very close to Ms. Kashyap and was considered by her as a ``foster-brother'', had gone to Haridwar with Ms. Kashyap 45 days ago. They were joined there by Phoolan. During the visit, Pankaj's behaviour did not raise any suspicion, said another person at 44 Ashoka Road.

He said everyone knew that Phoolan Devi was very close to Ms. Kashyap and that she had strong faith in her. ``It is difficult to believe that she might have been involved in the incident. We fear that she might have been used as a conduit without her knowledge, likewise Pankaj has also been used as a conduit to eliminate Phoolan Devi,'' he added.

Pankaj's claim that he had murdered Phoolan Devi to avenge the Behmai massacre has also came as a shock to those close to the Samajwadi Party leader. ``Pankaj was not related to the village. Even after the revelation that his real name is Sher Singh Rana, I still believe that he is not a Rajput but a Jat, who in no way could be affected by the massacre,'' he said.

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