Assassination
Mr. Rai was murdered on November 29, 2005, while he was visiting his family in his native village. He was there to attend his nephew's marriage. He was fully aware of the looming death threat and was even warned by Special Task Force officers about hired killers residing at Mukhtar Ansari's residence. The police was under duress not to act. The murder was planned to detail. He was coaxed to inaugurate a cricket match held at Baswania. The people who came to urge were in cahoots with perpetrators and they made sure that he didn't take his bullet proof vehicle and all his guards to the venue. He was ambushed on his way back home. The assailants fired at his convoy with AK 47 rifles, killing seven people on the spot. According to the postmortem report his body was riddled with nearly twenty one bullets one of which was fired from a bolt action rifle that left him immobile and an easy prey for the assailants. Amongst the other dead were his driver and guard who took nearly same amount of iron. His guard, a newly wed at the time, is survived by his wife and a daughter. The driver too is survived by a wife and few children. These were few people who laid their lives on the line of duty and would probably fade away in history. Their children would probably not be able to get all that their fathers had imagined and some even might lay in the arms of utter destitute given their fathers were the only source of income for their respective families.
His body was brought back to the village home and kept along with other six bodies so that the bereaved family could pay their last respect. The following day his body was brought to Varanasi for interment/funeral rite, the place which gave him his identity was finally waiting to embrace him. Along the way several hundred people paid their respect by showering flowers on the truck that carried his body. The city too came to a stand still for one last glance. Varanasi ghats see nearly 40,000 funeral pyres over a year. That day too the holy city saved another little moment to hold one of gods greatest creations.
The killing invited a massive public ire in the region. Senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L. K. Advani, Rajnath Singh, Kalyan Singh, etc. demanded CBI inquiry but the government rejected. The government feared indictment in case it went with peoples' demand of CBI probe and it did not yield. It was the rallying out cry of people as well as sheer grit of some of the leaders of B.J.P that compelled the government to take cognizance of the demand. As far as the perpetrators like Mukhtar Ansari are concerned, there are more than 22 criminal cases against him. People feared to report any complain against him but in the case of Rajendra Rai and Krishnanand Rai named FIRs were registered against Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari. When deputed to investigate the case, Bhajani Ram Meena, police superintendent posted in the district, left the case in middle alleging undue high pressure and he requested to transfer the case to the CBCID. After six months the CBCID too surrendered the case complaining pressure and recommended transfer of the case to the local police. Finding no remedy, the wife of Krishnananda Rai filed a writ in Allahabad High Court demanding a CBI inquiry into the killing of her husband. The Court after hearing the arguments in May 2006 ordered a CBI inquiry. But the Mulayam Singh government went to the Supreme Court against the High Court order. Now the CBI inquiry has begun in this case. Four accused of the case, Mukhtar, Afzal, Jiva and Aijaj, are in the Ghazipur jail.
He is survived by two sons and his wife.
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