JDU candidate Anant Singh held in Dularchand Yadav's murder case, Bihar politics on boil (Lead)

Patna, Nov 2 (IANS) Bihar’s political temperature surged on Sunday after Janata Dal (United) candidate and former Mokama MLA Anant Singh was arrested in connection with the Dularchand Yadav murder case on Sunday morning.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna Kartikeya K Sharma reached Mokama with a large police contingent and arrested Singh from his Barh residence around 12.30 a.m. while he was reportedly asleep.

He was brought to Patna and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate at about 2 a.m., following which he was remanded to judicial custody.

Confirming Anant Singh’s arrest, SSP Sharma said that two more individuals, Manikant Thakur, a resident of Nadma village and Ranjeet Ram, a resident of Ladma village, were present at the time of the incident.

Police claim that evidence placing Anant Singh at the spot on the night of the murder prompted the arrest.

A special CID team has been constituted to probe the case further.

Around 150 central paramilitary personnel and police from Mokama, Barh, Ghoswari, Hathidah and Bhadaur were deployed during the operation.

Significantly, Singh had campaigned in Mokama throughout the day, visiting multiple villages.

Soon after the arrest, a social media post from his account reading “Satyameva Jayate!! I have complete faith in the people of Mokama, so now the people of Mokama will fight the elections,” went viral.

His supporters alleged a political conspiracy, while rivals termed the action a matter of law.

Dularchand Yadav — a supporter of a Jan Suraj candidate, Piyush Priyadarshi alias Lallu Mukhiya— was killed on Thursday, triggering tension in the Mokama region.

Initial claims linked to Dularchand Yadav’s murder were due to a gunshot wound. He has also sustained a gunshot injury to his leg, but that was not the cause of his death.

The post-mortem report concluded that the fatal injury was caused by a vehicle running over his chest, resulting in multiple fractures and ruptured lungs.

The autopsy was conducted by a three-doctor panel for nearly two hours in Barh, in the presence of a magistrate.

Anant Singh’s name had surfaced in the preliminary investigation.

The timing — days ahead of polling — has immediate electoral ramifications.

Anant Singh retains considerable influence in Mokama, and his sudden arrest is expected to alter campaign equations in the constituency and possibly within the NDA.

This development is now being seen as one of the biggest flashpoints of this election cycle in Bihar.

--IANS

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