Bihar police arrest JD(U) MLA Anant Singh in kidnapping-cum-murder case

PatnaBihars Ruling Janata Dal Ulegislator Anant Singh was arrested today in a case ofkidnapping and extortion at Bihita in rural PatnaAnant Singh a bahubali legislator of JDU from Mokamah was arrested Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Vikash Vaibhav told the media hereEarlier security forces led by Vaibhav entered the official bungalow of Anant Singh with a court order for search and questioned him and placed him under detentionJDU MLA Anant Singh during a police raid at his residence in Patna on Wednesday PicPTIPolice also arrested five people considered close to Anant Singh from his bungalow for interrogation in the case Police have recovered a magazine of Insas rifle and two bulletproof jackets during the search an officer saidThe arrest took place a day after a senior police officerdisclosed his involvement in another case of kidnapmurder offour persons an issue which has snowballed into a majorpolitical challenge for Chief Minister Nitish KumarAnant Singh was arrested in a 2014 case of kidnappingof a builder at Bihta in rural Patna Senior Superintendent ofPolice Vikash Vaibhav saidThe Mokamah MLA known for his strong arm tactics hasbeen kept in Sachivalay police station where a large number ofhis supporters gathered raising slogansSinghs arrest came after hours of search by the policeunder the leadership of Patna SSP at his official residencefor evidence in connection with the June 17 kidnapping of fouryouths one of whom was later found murderedThe SSP said that six magazines of Insas rifle were foundduring the search at his official residence besides clothessoaked in blood which would be sent for DNA testWhile being taken away by the police the MLA toldreporters that he had not committed any wrongThough Singh was arrested today in an old case thedisclosure by outgoing SSP of Patna Jitendra Rana of Singhsalleged involvement in the June 17 case of kidnapping of fourpersons in his native Ladwa in Barh block of Patna districtposed a challenge to Nitish Kumar government as RJD ally ofJDU demanded Singhs arrestHours after RJD spokesman Mundrika Singh Yadav toldreporters about party demand of arrest of Singh in the Barhcase in which Putush Yadav was found murdered party chief Lalu Prasad also made it clear that the government should allow law to take its coursePrasad had said the matter was an acid test for thenew Patna SSP Vikash Vaibhav who had a tenure with NIA beforecoming to the stateOpposition Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have accused Nitish Kumar of transferring out Patna police chief Jitendra Rana who arrested the criminals to protect Anant SinghBut Additional Director General of Police headquarters Sunil Kumar refuted it and said the transfer was a routine one along with seven other IPS officersRana told media persons that the criminals allegedly responsible for the June 17 abduction of four men from Barh in Patna district one of those abducted was later murdered confessed to the police that they were acting on Anant Singhs ordersAnant Singh second term MLA popularly known as ChoteSarkar for reportedly running a parallel administrationin Barh area of Patna district had put Nitish Kumargovernment in a spot on a number of occasions in the pastHe was ealier accused of confining and manhandling amediaperson and also defying Patna Municipal Corporation whichhad ordered demolition of two floors of his mall in the heartof the townFormer chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi at the height ofhis power struggle with Nitish Kumar had accused him ofthreatening to slap him for revolting against KumarRJD has taken a strong stand on his alleged involvement ina kidnappingcummurder case in Barh forcing Nitish Kumargovernment to act promptly against himHours after the RJD spokesman made the party demand publicin a press conference a large contingent of police led by thePatna SSP armed with a special search warrant swooped on hishome in the state capital looking for evidence in the BarhcaseRJD spokesman Mundrika Singh Yadav who led a partyteam to Barh yesterday told reporters that the victimsfamilies and locals confirmed the MLAs involvementHe demanded inclusion of the MLAs name in the case andhis immediate arrest He also sought reinstatement of JitendraRana in Patna till the probe was completed in the caseRana had made the disclosure to reporters beforevacating office as SSP Patna He has been transferred toMotihari and his place has been taken by Vikash VaibhavState JDU spokesman Neeraj Kumar said Ranas transferhad nothing to do with the case and asserted law would takeits own courseBihar Congress President Ashok Choudhary said Nitish Kumarhas always said that nobody would be shown any favour and saidthe party was sure that in the present case too law would takeits own courseSenior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi alleged that inorder to shield Singh Nitish Kumar transferred Patna SSPJitendra Rana which proved that he wished to establish Atankka raj rule of fear in the stateModi in a statement described Anant Singh as a right handman of CM Nitish Kumar who he alleged was behind mobilisingcrowd in CM ralliesHe said the MLAs name came up so many times inconnection with landgrabbing to build hotel and mall in thecapitalThe administration never dared to touch him Modi whowas Deputy CM during NDA rule saidAnant Singh has however denied any involvement in the case and his party has also backed himIt is a conspiracy by my rivals who wanted to defame me and take political advantage ahead of upcoming Bihar assembly polls It is nothing but purely politics by my rivals Anant Singh saidThe legislator who belongs to the powerful upper caste Bhumihar community and is considered close to Nitish Kumar has dozens of criminal cases including several for murder and kidnapping registered against him