Patna, Jan. 28: The sensational killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Purnea Sadar Rajkishore Keshari on January 4 took a new turn on Friday when Sudip Kumar, nephew of the slain legislator, expressed sympathy for the alleged killer Rupam Pathak and squarely blamed Navlesh Pathak, a Purnea-based journalist, for the murder.

“Navlesh Pathak is the key conspirator behind the murder of Rajkishore Keshari. He was trying to exploit the legislator for quite sometime. The MLA, however, thought that good sense would prevail on him. But that proved fatal for him (Keshari),” said Sudip, who is also complainant of the murder case lodged with K. Haat police station.

Sudip, who was accompanied by his counsel Naresh Dixit, told reporters in Patna that the Keshari family had sympathy for Rupam Pathak, who knifed the fourth term MLA to death at his ancestral house in Sipahi Tola in Purnea town on January 4. “Navlesh used Rupam to settle his personal score with the MLA,” he said.

Sudip was, however, taken aback when asked why the MLA did not lodge any complaint against the journalist, who has been booked under Sections 120 (B) (hatching a conspiracy) and 109 (abetment of crime) of the Indian Penal Code.

Sudip’s counsel Dixit defended him saying that Keshari did not take the matter seriously as he was a public representative. “Rupam has been used as a pawn by Navlesh, who was exerting pressure on the MLA to concede his demand,” Dixit said.

He added that the journalist is more responsible for the crime than Rupam. Even on the fateful day, Navlesh was present in the white-coloured vehicle that dropped Rupam near the gate of the MLA’s house. While Rupam went inside the house, Navlesh was keeping an eye on the activities from the vehicle. When Rupam stabbed Keshari, Navlesh escaped in the vehicle with the driver, he added.

He said the protest petition was filed in the Purnea court at the behest of Navlesh. “If his (Navlesh) intensions were not malafide then why did he keep on persuading Rupam to stand by her earlier statement and file a protest petition against her statement recorded in the court under Section 164 of the CrPCm,” he asked.

Sudip, however, preferred to keep mum when asked to comment on the investigation conducted by the Purnea police.

“It will not be justified to make any comment on the investigation as the CBI is yet to take over the case of investigation,” Dixit said.

He blamed the media for carrying reports to malign the image of the slain MLA. “The MLA had a clean image and some vested interests were trying to defame the popular leader of Seemanchal,” Dixit added.

At present Rupam and Navlesh are lodged in the Purnea divisional jail. The state human rights commission last week directed the inspector-general (prisons) to provide security to Rupam in the jail. The commission has also sought a detailed report from the director-general of police.