Lucknow, June 18: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today termed as "false and misleading" media reports that the state police had submitted an interim report in poetess Madhumita Shukla murder case to government. The state government had not received any report by the crime branch-CID within the stipulated time-frame of one month, Mayawati said in an official release here.

Some newspapers today reported that the CB-CID had submitted an interim report which had pointed the needle of suspicion towards sacked Uttar Pradesh minister Amar Mani Tripathi whose relations with the slain poetess had kicked up a political storm. The reports said the case was taken away from the CB-CID as it was very close to "nailing" Tripathi.

The release, however said, the home department today received a progress report signed by SP CB-CID Avinash Yash on the murder case.

The report was probably sent after Chief Minister had recommended a CBI probe into the murder case, the release said.

The report had not reached a conclusion nor had blamed anyone for the murder, it said. The Chief Minister had yesterday suspended Director General CBI-CID Mahendra Lalka and SP Avinash Yash and ordered transfer of six other officials for showing "laxity" in solving the high-profile murder case.

Bureau Report