A fresh controversy has erupted around the high-profile 2003 Madhumita Shukla murder case in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district after the victim's sister, Nidhi Shukla, alleged that a bomb attack was carried out outside her house at around three in the morning on Wednesday. Following the incident, Nidhi Shukla filed a complaint at the Sadar Kotwali police station demanding an FIR, accusing former minister Amarmani Tripathi and his family of being behind the attack.
Demand for tighter security and a fair probe
Nidhi Shukla says the attack was carried out to intimidate her and force her to back away from the ongoing legal fight in the Madhumita Shukla murder case. She warned that if any untoward incident happens to her or any member of her family in the future, full responsibility would lie with those who orchestrated the attack. She has demanded that police immediately step up her security, conduct a fair investigation into the case, and register an FIR against the culprits at the earliest.
Loud blast rocked the neighbourhood around 3 am
Nidhi Shukla lives in the city's Mishranan Mohalla area. According to her, a loud explosion occurred outside her house at around 3 am during the intervening night of 30 June and 1 July. She was asleep inside the house with her family at the time. The constable posted for her security called her in panic, telling her that a loud bomb-blast-like sound had been heard outside, and asked her to open the door. However, for security reasons, she did not open the door at that moment and instead informed Dial-112. It was only when police reached the spot that she opened the door and was told about the explosion.
What is the Madhumita Shukla murder case
Madhumita Shukla was murdered at her home in the Paper Mill Colony area of Lucknow on 9 May 2003. The investigation found that Madhumita was seven months pregnant at the time. A DNA test showed that the unborn child was linked to Amarmani Tripathi, who was a minister in the then Uttar Pradesh government. Building on this old link, Nidhi Shukla has now accused Amarmani Tripathi and his family of being behind the latest attack as well.
