Raghuraj Pratap Singh

Early life and education

Raghuraj, a Rajput, was born to Raja Uday Pratap Singh in 1968. His grandfather Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh was the founder vice-chancellor of Pant Nagar Agriculture University and later the second governor of Himachal Pradesh state. Raghuraj was the first in his family to enter politics; his father is largely a recluse. Raghuraj's grand father had adopted his nephew Raja Uday Pratap Singh as his son.

Raghuraj completed his primary education from Mahaprabhu Bal Vidayalaya Narayni Asram Shivkuti, Allahabad, high school from Bharat Scout H.S. School in the year 1985, intermediate from Colonel Ganj Inter College Allahabad in the year 1987, and law graduation at Lucknow University.

2007 Elections

In the, Uttar Pradesh state elections, 2007, he was overwhelmingly elected from Kunda with a margin of nearly half the votes cast over Shiv Prakash Mishra of the Bahujan Samaj Party. He had stood as an Independent, supported by the Samajwadi Party. He also wields considerable influence over five assembly constituencies in the Pratapgarh region, as well as some in neighbouring Bihar. In election rallies in this region where he is present, the actual candidate may never speak or even be mentioned in his speech; "they are all shadows. Raja Bhaiya, alone, is the substance.".

After the 2007 elections, when Mayawati swept to power with a majority, Raghuraj again came under the police radar.

Jailed under POTA in 2002

In 2002, on an FIR filed by a dissident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Puran Singh Bundela of alleged kidnapping and threatening with dire consequences, got Raghuraj arrested on the orders of then Chief Minister Mayawati at the early hours about 4:00 a.m. of 2 November 2002. Later Mayawati-led government in Uttar Pradesh declared him a terrorist, and he was sent to jail under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), along with his father Uday Pratap Singh and cousin Akshay Pratap Singh. Subsequently, Akshay managed to get bail, but Raghuraj's pleas were rejected many times.

From jail to cabinet minister

Within 25 minutes of the Mulayam Singh Yadav's government coming to power in 2003, all POTA charges against him were dropped. However, the Supreme Court debarred the state government from dismissing POTA charges

Eventually the POTA act was repealed in 2004, and although the court again refused to release Raghuraj, he subsequently became a powerful man in the government, and was accused by police officer R.S. Pandey (who led the raid on his house) of having launched a vendetta against him. Eventually R.S. Pandey was killed in a road accident, which is currently being investigated by the CBI.

In 2005, he became the minister for Food and Civil Supplies, and despite his pending criminal cases, he came to be assigned the highest level of security (Z-category) provided by the state, though the threats against him were not specified.

DSP Zia Ul Haque murder case

On 3 March 2013, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia Ul Haq was killed during clashes between villagers and police in Kunda, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya's constituency. Following a complaint by the slain officer's wife, Parveen Azad, Pratapgarh police have registered a case against Raja Bhaiyya for his alleged involvement in the "conspiracy" which resulted in the gang war and subsequent murder of the police officer. In the FIR, Parveen has said her husband was killed by the henchmen of Raja Bhaiyya. She has named Gulshan Yadav, chairman of Kunda Nagar Panchayat, Harion Srivastava, a representative of Raja Bhaiyya and Guddu Singh, Raja Bhaiyya's driver as prime accused. She has also named two other villagers – Kamta Prasad Pal and Rajesh Kumar Pal. The police have registered a murder case against other accused who were named in the FIR. Further this case was handed over to elite investigation agency CBI on dated-07.2.2013 for further investigation. The CBI has registered four different cases in the murder of senior police officer Zia-ul-Haq and two others who were shot dead on Saturday in the constituency of former Uttar Pradesh minister, Raja Bhaiya.

The politician will be investigated for criminal conspiracy. He was forced to resign from office after he was accused in a police case of criminal conspiracy.

On 1 August 2013, the CBI filed the final report in the CBI court giving a clean chit to Raja Bhaiya. On opposition by the DSP Zia-ul-Haque's widow Parveen Azad the special CBI Magistrate Lucknow ordered for furthur enquiery mentioning that the Raghuraj Pratap Singh and others are nominated in FIR lodged by the slain DSP's widow,so CBI are required to collect the evidences against Rghuraj Pratap Singh and others.