Manoj Gupta, an executive engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD), was killed in a brutal manner, allegedly by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Shekhar Tiwari Dec 24, 2008 in a government guest house in Auraiya. Gupta had reportedly refused to shell out a huge donation demanded by the legislator for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's birthday celebrations Jan 15.

At the time of the murder, Singh was the officer in charge of Diviyapur police station, under whose jurisdiction the scene of the murder falls. Singh is considered to be close to Tiwari and political circles say his posting in Auraiya was at the legislator's behest. Tiwari had handed over fatally injured Gupta at the police station -- and the police two hours later took him to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

On May 12, the Allahabad High Court had transferred the murder trial from the Auraiya district court to a Lucknow sessions court and ordered the trial to be completed within six months.