Mayawati seeks CBI probe into Armstrong murder case

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into the murder of her party's Tamil Nadu president K. Armstrong.

She claimed that those arrested so far were not the real culprits and urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to refer the probe to the central agency to ensure justice for the victim.

In a rare gesture, Mayawati visited and paid homage to Armstrong and placed a wreath before the body of the 52-year-old leader at a private school in Perambur in the city.

She expressed anguish over Armstrong's death and said the way he was killed, by a group of assailants late in the evening, showed "there was nothing called law and order" in the state.

Stalin must ensure justice for Armstrong and transfer the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), she said.

"Those who have killed him should be arrested -- the real culprits have not been nabbed yet," she said.

The BSP leader further said Dalits all over the state were apprehensive following Armstrong's killing and urged the Chief Minister to ensure their safety.

The BSP has taken the matter seriously, but party workers should not take law and order into their hands, she said.

Armstrong was hacked to death in Chennai on Friday (June 28). The Chennai Police have arrested eight people so far.