Mokama Murder: Election Commission Transfers Patna SP (Rural), Orders Action Against Three Officers

Two days after the brutal murder of a 75-year-old Jan Suraaj worker Dularchand Yadav, the Election Commission (EC) on November 1 has ordered that the Patna Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vikram Sihag be transferred. The EC also ordered that there be action taken against three other police officers.

The EC had had on Friday sought a report on the incident from the Bihar Director General of Police (DGP). The EC also directed that that a panel of officers to select his substitute be engaged on an urgent basis.

It also ordered that there be a replacement for Mokama Sub-Divisional Officer-cum-Returning Officer Chandan Kumar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Barh-1) Rakesh Kumar, and SDPO (Barh-2) Abhishek Singh. The Commission has ordered that there be disciplinary action against all three officers, and suspended Singh with immediate effect.

On October 31, a violent clash between supporters of the Janata Dal (United) and Jan Suraaj Party in Mokama resulted in Yadav being gunned down by unknown assailants. The incident occurred on the same day Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked memories of the Lalu Yadav-era Jungle Raj during the late 90s to early 2000s.

On November 2, Sunday morning, JDU candidate from Mokama Anant Singh was arrested by police in connection with the killing. Singh has only come back on the ballot after being recently acquitted by the Patna High Court, Anant Singh is back on the ballot, this time representing the JD(U). According to his nomination papers, Singh is facing 28 ongoing FIRs, with his alleged crimes ranging from murder, criminal conspiracy, torture, kidnapping, assault, to theft, sheltering criminals, and several arms cases.

Since then, RJD candidate Veena Devi has come forward to deny that her party had any hand in the violent clash.

Devi is also the wife of former MP Surajbhan Singh, an influential strongman figure known as “Dada” by the locals in the area. Her entry had rekindled whispers that the old rivalry between the Singh and Surajbhan families, a power struggle that has long defined Mokama’s political landscape, would, again come to the fore.