Sirsa, India - A three-member CBI team has arrived here to investigate the murder of a local journalist in 2002, blamed on members of a local religious cult.
The team, led by Deputy Superintendent Satish Dagar, arrived on Wednesday, on the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order, and has so far recorded statements of the managing committee and some followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, officials said here today.
It was unable to question the Dera chief sant Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh as he was reportedly out of town.
The team also visited the office of local eveninger 'Poora Sach' to record the statement of its Editor, Anshul Chhattarpati, who is the son of the slain scribe.
R C Chattarpati was allegedly shot at by followers of the cult on October 24, 2002 here. He was taken to a hospital in Delhi but died there on November 21.
The police had at that time arrested three staunch followers of the Dera in connection with the murder. Two of them are still in judicial custody while the third was later released on bail.
Anshul Chhattarpati moved the high court praying for a CBI enquiry into his father's murder following which it directed the agency team to investigate the case.