Anant Kumar Singh, the Janata Dal (United) candidate from Mokama constituency and former MLA, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the murder case of a Jan Suraaj supporter, Dularchand Yadav, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma. This comes ahead of Bihar assembly election scheduled this month.
Anant, a local influential figure, has been listed as an accused, along with four others, in an FIR filed following a complaint by the deceased’s grandson, a report by PTI noted.
“On 30 October, there was a clash between two groups of competing candidates. Stones were pelted resulting in injuries. A dead body was recovered after the incident. The deceased, Dularchand Yadav, aged 75 years, was a resident of the village where this clash occurred... Both sides registered cases, and police started investigating the case... ” ANI quoted Sharma as saying.
He added, “Based on evidence, eyewitness accounts, and the postmortem report of the deceased, it appears that the Model Code of Conduct was violated, and it is a serious issue. It was found that all this happened in the presence of the candidate, Anant Singh, who is also the main accused in the case. Anant Singh has been arrested. His accomplices, Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram, have also been arrested with him... All three will be presented before the magistrate, and due investigation will follow.”
"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... Cases have been registered under various sections... People from both groups have been arrested for misbehaving with the police and creating law and order issues... The three accused in the murder have not surrendered. They have been arrested," he further said.
Patna DM Dr Thiyagarajan SM stated, “The incident that happened has been taken very seriously. We camped day and night for the last 48 hours. The situation is absolutely normal now. Since it is concerned with the election process, we investigated it thoroughly from every angle. Action is being taken against all anti-social elements involved in this. Yesterday, 80 people were arrested, and today, the main accused have been arrested... We have already identified and taken action against the people who are trying to influence elections...”
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav questioned administration's “stoic silence” over the incident. “Why is the administration maintaining a stoic silence over the incident. How a candidate and his supporters were allowed to campaign with a convoy of 40 vehicles and arms? It is quite clear that the state government is giving protection to goons and criminals,” PTI quoted Tejashwi as saying.
Voting for Bihar’s 243-seat Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the vote counting scheduled for November 14.
