Begusarai (Bihar) [India], November 2 : Amid chaos over the murder of political worker Dularchand Yadav, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani on Sunday blamed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the "collapsing" law and order situation in the state.
Sahani said that the Bihar government's remote control remains in Delhi.
"'Sushasan Babu' should respond to what they have made of Bihar. He is only a so-called 'Sushansan Babu'. Delhi has the remote control of the Bihar government. Bureaucrats consider themselves more powerful than the Chief Minister because they know he's unwell. People of Bihar have made up their mind to bring about a change," Sahani told ANI.
Sahani, who has been named as Deputy Chief Ministerial candidate by Mahagathbandhan, said, "Law and order situation is a failure. The system has collapsed."
On October 30, the man, identified as Dularchand Yadav, was found dead, and several others were injured following a clash between alleged supporters of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) and the Janata Dal (United) in Mokama assembly constituency.
Following the arrest of JDU's Mokama candidate Anant Singh in connection with the murder case of Dularchand Yadav, Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar said that more than 80 people have been arrested, linked to these cases, including the clash on October 30, and an investigation was being conducted.
DGP Vinay Kumar said, "SSP Patna made it clear in the press briefing how the arrests were made. This is now a matter of investigation. Only after the investigation will we know whose intentions were what. In the incident that occurred, Dularchand Yadav died. A clash occurred there. Supporters of both candidates, who were travelling in vehicles, clashed with each other. There was stone pelting as well. Cases have been registered in connection with all of these, and more than 80 people have been arrested in all of these cases, including this murder case.
"Those found involved in the incidents are being arrested. Arrests are based on evidence. The weapon has not been recovered yet. Efforts are underway to recover it. First, it's being established who fired the shots. Once the weapon is recovered, forensic investigations will be conducted," he further said.
DGP Kumar said that the death of Dularchand Yadav in Mokama was caused by cardiac and respiratory failure, and not by a gunshot injury, as per the post-mortem report.
While addressing the press conference in Patna, the DGP informed that a bullet mark was found on the leg of the deceased, but it was not the cause of death.
"An FIR has been lodged in this matter, and a detailed post-mortem examination was conducted, including videographic documentation. A bullet mark was found on the leg of the deceased, but it was not the cause of death. The primary cause was determined to be cardiac and respiratory failure," DGP Vinay Kumar said.
He added that a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team has been constituted to probe the incident.
"A CID team has been formed to investigate the incident. Preliminary findings suggest that the vehicle may have rammed into the deceased during the scuffle. Whether this was intentional or accidental will be determined after a thorough investigation," he said.
Anant Kumar Singh, the Janata Dal (United) candidate from Mokama, was arrested in the early hours today by Patna Police in connection with the murder case of a Jan Suraaj supporter, Dularchand Yadav, the Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma said.
Jan Suraaj Party's candidate, Piyush Priyadarshi, told ANI over the phone that Anant Singh should have been arrested sooner, as he added, "This is a good gesture, but it would have been good had they taken action sooner. Today, he was moving around in a convoy of 50 vehicles and even participated in election campaigning. When an FIR was registered against him, he should have been arrested sooner. But better late than never."
SSP said Anant Singh has been arrested along with two associates, Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram. Singh was taken before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Patna.
Mokama is infamous for being a stronghold of influential and often controversial "strongmen" or "bahubalis" in Bihar politics, most notably Anant Kumar Singh, his brother Dilip Singh and Surajbhan Singh.
Mokama is now once again in the limelight after the murder of Dularchand Yadav, as the vote battle may be influenced because of the incident. This year, the electoral battle in Mokama Assembly constituency in Patna district, Bihar, is centred around two Bahubalis - Anant Singh and Surajbhan Singh, who dominate the region's political narrative.
Mokama, which will vote in the first phase on November 6, is once again set to witness a high-voltage electoral contest in the 2025 polls, as Janata Dal (United) has fielded strongman Anant Singh, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal has nominated Veena Devi, wife of former MP and influential leader Surajbhan Singh.
Both candidates come from the Bhumihaar community, setting the stage for a direct clash of political legacies in one of Bihar's most volatile yet politically significant constituencies.
Voting for Bihar's 243-seat Assembly will take place in two phases on November 6 and 11. Counting of votes will take place on November 14.