The victim, identified as Dularchand Yadav, was shot dead in the Mokama area after gunshots were fired during the election campaign. A political row erupted in Bihar over the alleged shooting of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter in Patna’s Mokama area on Thursday. The victim, identified as Dularchand Yadav, was shot dead in the Mokama area after gunshots were fired during the election campaign. Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said that the exact cause of the death was not known as Yadav’s body has not been handed over to the police.
“Whether he succumbed to bullet injuries or it was an accidental death can only be known when the police get the body,” the SSP said. Another officer, however, confirmed that Yadav died while he was campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party’s candidate Piyush Priyadarshi.
The Mokama seat remains one of the prominent seats in Bihar and is seeing a contest between two gangster-turned-politicians. JD(U) strongman Anant Singh is in the fray in Mokama, while the RJD has fielded Veena Devi. Veena Devi is the wife of Surajbhan Singh, another strongman from the area. Suraj Bhan Singh, nicknamed ‘Dada’, remains disqualified and hence needs his wife Veena Devi to contest on his behalf. Polling will happen on the seat on November 6.
How did political parties react?
Jan Suraj Party’s state president Manoj Bharti, in a statement, said that the killing is an assault on our democratic rights. “The incident took place at the behest of those who seek votes by instilling fear of ‘jungle raj’. This is an assault on our democratic rights. We strongly condemn the attack on the convoy of our Mokama assembly poll candidate, Priyadarshi Piyush, and the killing of one of his supporters,” Bharti said.
He also added that every candidate has the right to carry out a public outreach programme. “Attacking them during poll campaigns, firing bullets to show dominance, and running a vehicle over a supporter to kill them are heinous crimes,” the Jan Suraaj Party leader said. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor told reporters that senior leaders of the party are present in Mokama. “As soon as we receive any updates, we will inform everyone,” he added. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that Dular Chand Yadav’s murder puts a question mark on the law and order situation in the state.
“The murder of Dular Chand Yadav is a matter of serious concern. The incident puts a question mark on the law and order situation in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must see all these. He always talks about the NDA rule in Bihar. What ‘raj’ should it be called?” he said.
The assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held on November 6 and 11, while the results will be declared on November 14.
