New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS): Calling the murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood as a "serious" matter, Home Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday said Madhya Pradesh can request for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the killing.

"If there is a request that the case should be taken over by the CBI, certainly in consultation with the department of personnel and training (DoPT) which is the administrative ministry, and the CBI we will take an appropriate decision. First, there must be a reference from the government," he told reporters here.

The home minister said that it is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly.

"If there is a letter from state government regarding this, we will address it with the urgency required," he said.

Masood, an anti-corruption crusader and Right to Information (RTI) activist, was shot outside her home in the Koh-e-Fiza area on the morning of Aug 16.

Masood headed the Madhya Pradesh chapter of India Against Corruption group. In April, she led protests when activist Anna Hazare fasted in New Delhi for the first time.

The day before her murder, Masood had pledged to expose widespread corruption and said she had several documents to back her claims.