Bihar: JDU candidate Anant Singh has been arrested for the murder of Dularchand in Bihar's Mokama assembly constituency. Patna police arrested him late Saturday night.
Regarding the arrest, Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma said, "A convoy of two groups from Tartar village was approaching. A clash broke out between the two."
"As part of the investigation at the scene, witness statements were taken and video footage from the scene was examined. Based on the evidence found in this case, Anant Singh has been arrested from Bedhna village in the Barh area."
Kartikeya Sharma said, "The investigation revealed that Anant Singh, who is also the main accused in this murder, was present at the scene when the incident occurred. Besides him, two other persons, Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram, have also been arrested. Both of them were also present at the scene."
Dular Chand was murdered on October 30, after which tension spread in the entire area.
The Mokama seat is one of the 14 assembly seats in Patna district and is considered a stronghold of Anant Singh.
The JDU has nominated Anant Singh from Mokama, while the RJD has given the ticket to Veena Devi, the wife of strongman Suraj Bhan Singh. The Jansuraj Party has nominated Piyush Priyadarshi for this seat.
Dularchand Yadav was campaigning in support of Piyush Priyadarshi of the Jansuraj Party.
Prior to Anant Singh's arrest, the Patna Police had made a significant decision regarding the three main candidates contesting the Mokama assembly seat to monitor the Model Code of Conduct.
According to the police, to ensure the Model Code of Conduct during election campaigning in the Mokama assembly constituency, a magistrate, police officer, armed forces personnel, and videographer were deployed with each of the three candidates.
What Chirag Paswan and Pawan Khera said?
Following the murder of Dularchand Yadav in Bihar, opposition parties have raised questions about law and order in the state. Union Minister Chirag Paswan has responded to these allegations.
Speaking to the media, he said, "If criminals were protected, the action taken last (Saturday) night (the arrest of Anant Singh) would not have happened."
Chirag Paswan said, "Our government is clear on one thing, and as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says, we neither protect nor implicate anyone."
He said, "The incident that occurred is sad. I do not support the idea that crime is less during my tenure than during yours. If even one incident occurs, it is a matter of concern for our government."
Chirag Paswan said that no one guilty in this case will be spared. The strictest possible action will be taken against every culprit.
Following the murder of Dularchand Yadav, the RJD and Congress have raised questions about law and order in Bihar.
Tejashwi Yadav alleged that Bihar is experiencing a state of "Maha Jungle Raj" and that "bullets are being fired every day" in the state.
Congress leader Pawan Khera said that this is "real jungle raj, where politicians are being shot at in the middle of elections, and these leaders are orchestrating it."
Pawan Khera said, "Arrests have happened before and bail has been granted, but this is not the issue. This is the real jungle raj, where leaders are being shot in the middle of elections, and these leaders are getting it done."
Pawan Khera alleged, "Today is the Prime Minister's road show, so it's obvious that some cover-up had to be done, so he was arrested."
JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan says that Anant Singh's arrest is a befitting reply to the opposition.
He said, "Between 1990 and 2005, when such crimes were occurring, the police did not have the courage to take action against senior political leaders."
Political Conspiracy: Anant Singh's lawyer
Responding to the arrest, Singh’s lawyer Naveen Kumar claimed that his client was the victim of a political conspiracy. “Their only motive is to influence the vote, and there's no other intention. Dularchand's death was very tragic — we express our condolences — but he (Singh) was unnecessarily targeted. The issue is related to the election, and the opposition is behind this,” he said.
Kumar added that Singh’s legal team would challenge the charges in court, asserting that they were baseless.
Observers suggest that the move could significantly affect electoral dynamics in Mokama, where Singh enjoys a loyal base and remains a formidable presence in local politics.