Lucknow, March 26: Police today detained Samajwadi Party leader K.D. Singh for his alleged involvement in the killing of Meher Bhargav.

On February 28, four persons had shot at Meher, the wife of Congress leader Luv Bhargav, for protesting when they made lewd comments at her daughter-in-law.

The incident took place barely 100 metres from the Lucknow police superintendent’s office. Meher died in Delhi’s Apollo Hospital yesterday.

K.D. Singh, a block pramukh and an alleged confidant of don-turned-Independent MLA Dhananjay Singh, was picked up from his Jaunpur house today by Lucknow police.

“The block pramukh had allegedly sheltered the anti-socials in his house in Jaunpur after they shot at the Congress leader’s wife,” said Abhay Kumar Prasad, senior superintendent of police, Jaunpur.

The police have announced a reward on the head of the main accused, Sachin Pahari, against whom a non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued, adds PTI.

Teams have been rushed to Azamgarh, Pithoragarh and Mughalsarai to catch Pahari, who used to frequent K.D. Singh’s flat, Lucknow senior superintendent of police Ashutosh Pandey said. He added that the police would attach Pahari’s properties. Two persons ? Jai Prakash and Pramod Singh ? have been held in connection with the murder.

Yashpal Singh, Uttar Pradesh director-general of police, and chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters today that Meher’s assailants would not be spared. Mulayam later visited Meher’s family to convey his condolences.

The DGP said the block pramukh’s role in the murder was being probed. “The entire plot and nexus, if any, with the mafia will be exposed.”

Meher’s body was brought to Lucknow today, where her funeral was held. Her friends thronged her house in thousands, calling the incident “Lucknow’s Jessica Lal murder case”. Some women activists, too, gathered there, holding placards. “Hang Meher’s killers,” one of them said.

Luv had earlier alleged that the four accused were small-time criminals handpicked to execute the murder. “Influential persons who are behind the plot have been roaming free,” he had said, hinting at Dhananjay’s involvement.

The Independent MLA allegedly runs a land-grabbing mafia in Lucknow and is close to the ruling Samajwadi Party.

“The police are yet to get any substantial material linking the four to the mafia. But now that we have come to know that they were sheltered by K.D. Singh, we are investigating their connections,” Pandey said. He added that K.D. Singh was close to Dhananjay Singh.