Opposition attacks government for removal of CBI director
New Delhi, Oct 24 : Opposition parties Wednesday slammed the government for CBI Director Alok Verma's removal amid an escalating feud between him and his deputy Rakesh Asthana, with the Congress dubbing it the "last nail" in the agency's independence and the CPI(M) calling it illegal.
Adding its voice to the debate, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asked the reasons for sending the CBI director on leave.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala wondered if Verma was "sacked" for his keenness to probe the "layers of corruption" in the Rafale scam and sought an answer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Modi govt buries the 'last nail' into the independence of CBI. Systematic dismantling & denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI's integrity, credibility & reliability is buried & dead," Surjewala said on Twitter.
There was no immediate comment either from the government or the ruling BJP on the allegations levelled by opposition parties.
"PM Modi has demonstrated the true colour of his infamous Modi Made Gujarat Model' by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI. Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isn't the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer!" the Congress leader said.
Attacking the prime minister, he said Modi has sought to achieve surreptitiously and clandestinely what he cannot do directly by sacking the CBI director.
Habitual and perpetual misuse of the CBI by the government and the BJP to "tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases" is the reason for this unfathomable mess, Surjewala alleged.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury termed Verma's removal "illegal".
It has been done to protect the government's handpicked officer against whom serious charges of corruption are being investigated, he said, alleging that it points to attempts at a serious cover-up to protect his direct links to the BJP's top political leadership.
"To ensure that the CBI is not a 'caged parrot', the Supreme Court had granted protection to its chief from govt's whims and fancies by giving him a two-year tenure. What is Modi govt trying to hide by its panic move?" he asked.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal echoed him.
"What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is Modi govt trying to hide?" he said on Twitter.
The government has divested Verma and Asthana of all powers amid an ongoing spat between them, sources said, calling it the first such case in the history of the agency.
The prime minister-led Appointments Committee Tuesday night gave charge of the director to Joint Director M Nageshwara Rao with immediate effect, a government order said.
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Woman dies by suicide amid alleged social boycott, five booked in Yadgir
Yadgir (Karnataka) (PTI): A 46-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide after facing sustained social boycott and harassment by members of her community, police said on Thursday.
An FIR has been registered in Yadgir district based on the complaint lodged by Yellappa Suryavamshi (50).
Suryavamshi alleged that the victim Kamalamma (46), a resident of Girinagar area in Yadgir, allegedly jumped into the Bhima river near Joladadagi village between the evening of March 14 and the morning of March 15, following alleged mental harassment linked to a social boycott imposed on her family.
Suryavamshi alleged that their family had been ostracised by members of their community over an unverified accusation involving their son.
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“A village panchayat held on September 8, 2025, had directed the family not to interact with a relative and imposed a 10-year social boycott, asking them to vacate the village,” Suryavamshi said in his complaint.
Following the decision, the family had shifted to a rented house in Yadgir town.
However, earlier this month, when the woman returned to their native locality, a group of individuals allegedly confronted her and reiterated the boycott, the FIR said.
“Despite the earlier boycott, she was again prevented from staying in the village and was subjected to continued mental harassment,” the complainant said.
The complainant further alleged that even relatives who offered shelter to the woman were threatened with similar social ostracism.
“Those who gave her refuge were warned of facing a fresh boycott by convening another panchayat,” Suryavamshi alleged.
Unable to bear the alleged humiliation and pressure, the woman is said to have taken the extreme step, police said.
Her body was recovered from the river on March 15 and shifted to the district government hospital mortuary in Yadgir, police said.
Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against five individuals under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
