RJD MPs, including party leader Laloo Prasad Yadav walked into the well of the House, protesting that they did not want a murder enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Instead, they questioned the role of a CBI official in letting the murder of Brij Bihar Prasad, a former Bihar minister, take place.

RJD members were however placated when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee assured them that the Centre would probe if there had been a lapse or involvement in the crime by the CBI official.

Vajpayee suggested that if the RJD did not want a CBI enquiry it could opt for widening the probe by the parliamentary privileges committee or a judicial enquiry. Laloo Prasad Yadav promptly reminded that the Bihar government had already ordered a judicial enquiry.

ThePrime Minister said that in that case the outcome of the judicial enquiry had to be awaited. With this the zero hour turbulence in the Lok Sabha over Bihar died down.

Rama Devi had raised the issue by reminding that she had alerted the House about the threat to her husband's life. She now wanted justice. ``Bring back my husband,'' the MP, who broke down at one point, demanded.

As Laloo Prasad Yadav and some MPs from Samajwadi Party joined in to support Rama Devi, there were protests from the Treasury benches. Reminding that the RJD was the ruling party in Bihar, BJP MPs said ``You are responsible. Law and order is your responsibility.''

BJP members said the murder took place when the Brij Bihari was under judicial custody in a hospital, and Bihar government commandos were deployed for his protection. BJP MP Vijay Geol accused the RJD members of drawing political mileage out of Ram Devi's misery.

Ruling coalition members also said an entire organisation could not be condemned even if one official wasfound guilty. Samata Party member Prabhu Nath Singh said the law and order situation in the state was bad because of a nexus there between criminals from that state and those from Uttar Pradesh.

He wondered who was giving `shelter' to UP criminals who had come to Bihar.Deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok sabha P Shiv Shankar called for action against the CBI officer named by Rama Devi as the matter concerned the privileges of the House.