With just a few days left for the assembly elections in Bihar, a candidate of the ruling Janata Dal (U) was arrested in connection with the murder of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter.
Anant Kumar Singh, the JD(U)’s Mokama candidate and a former MLA, was arrested from his house in Barh in a late-night operation. He was the prime accused in the murder of Dular Chand Yadav, a gangster-turned-politician.
Yadav (75) was campaigning for his nephew and Jan Suraaj candidate, Piyush Priyadarshi, in Mokama when he was killed during a firing between two groups on October 30.
VIDEO | Barh: JD(U) candidate from Mokama, Anant Kumar Singh, has reportedly been arrested by police and taken to Patna in connection with the murder of gangster-turned-politician Dularchand Yadav.
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/NCMALQYl0k
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Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma said Singh was arrested along with his two associates—Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram. All three will be presented before the magistrate on Sunday.
"Three people have been arrested on murder charges, and raids are being carried out to arrest others. Soon, more arrests will be made. CID has also started investigating the case,” Sharma said.
Priyadarshi welcomed Singh’s arrest but said the action should have been taken soon after the incident.
“But better late than never. What is important now is how the police investigate the whole case... It is a relief for his family," he told ANI news agency.
The murder of Yadav has brought Mokama, a place known for the “bahubalis” in Bihar politics, again to the limelight. The constituency, which goes to the polls in the first phase of voting on November 6, is witnessing a contest between Singh and RJD’s Veena Devi, wife of influential leader Suraj Bhan Singh.
‘Situation under control’
Yadav’s murder has sent shock waves across the state, even as Patna District Magistrate Dr Thiyagarajan S.M. maintained that the situation in Mokama is under control. He said over 80 people have been taken into custody in connection with the clashes and firing incidents.
“We have given instructions for 100 per cent arms deposition. All legal arms will soon be deposited. Instructions have been given to set up more than 50 checking points in each constituency. The CAPF will also be carrying out checks. Maximum seizure has been done from Patna. Adequate CAPF personnel have been deployed. They are working in coordination with the police and the magistrate,” he said, adding that raids are being carried out to seize illegal arms. |
