In a virtual display of justice remaining elusive for poor victims of the alleged misuses of political power in Bihar, the police appeared unwilling to arrest a BJP MLC accused of shooting dead a man and the MLC’s bodyguard went mysteriously missing from police custody.
Despite Bihar DGP Abhayanand’s order to the police in the eastern town of Karihar to ensure arrest of BJP leader Ashok Agrawal, who allegedly shot dead one of his employees, Dhiraj Mahto, on Tuesday morning, the police were yet to arrest him till late on Thursday evening. Mr Agrawal has been named in the FIR as a prime accused. Mahto’s brother, Neeraj Mahto, who witnessed the murder and claimed it was the MLC who fired the shots, and the local people have alleged that Mr Agrawal was unfairly influencing the investigation by the police and the forensic team.
Mr Agrawal’s official bodyguard Brahmadeo Yadav was reportedly taken into custody on Tuesday after both he and the MLC claimed that the licensed carbine, which Mr Yadav was holding and cleaning, “accidentally misfired and the shots hit Mahto”. But Mr Yadav mysteriously went missing from police custody on Tuesday night and the police had no intelligible explanation for this lapse. Mr Agrawal had said on Wednesday that he had informed the police minutes after the incident and that acting SP Yugal Kishore Sinha came and picked up the bodyguard and seized his carbine.
“We are yet to get the bodyguard for recording his statement about the whole incident, which is absolutely important in investigating this death,” said Katihar SDPO (Sadar) Rajesh Kumar. He said he had no knowledge about the bodyguard having been in police custody.
While senior state police officials refused to speak on this matter, sources said both the MLC and the bodyguard were now together in Katihar and evading the arrest.
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CPM meet to take on govt on price rise
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, July 19
The CPI(M) politburo meeting on Friday is planning to take on the government over price rise and corruption.
The politburo and the central committee will also discuss the resentment of some party functionaries over the CPI(M)’s decision to support the UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
Trouble is also brewing within the party with the former Kerala chief minister V.S. Achhuthanandan once again taking on the state secretary Pinyari Vijayan. The politburo and CC will also chalk out its strategy for the forthcoming Monsoon Session.