Patna: Bihar’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has issued summons to four individuals, including former MLA and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Bima Bharti, as part of its ongoing probe into alleged attempts to purchase the support of legislators during the no-confidence motion against the Nitish Kumar government in February 2024.
Those summoned for questioning on July 21 also include Sanjay Patel, Pramod Kumar, and Sunny Kumar. Investigators allege efforts were made to obstruct certain lawmakers from attending the assembly session during the crucial vote.
Earlier, the EOU questioned RJD leader Engineer Sunil from Sonpur in connection with the case, and officials are preparing to summon him again.
The investigation stems from an FIR lodged at Patna’s Kotwali police station on February 11, 2024, following a complaint by JD(U) MLA Sudhanshu Kumar. According to the FIR, several NDA legislators were allegedly offered ministerial berths and cash inducements of Rs 10 crore each to defect and vote in favour of the Grand Alliance during the no-confidence motion.
The FIR further names Engineer Sunil, accusing him and his associates of kidnapping MLAs Bima Bharti and Dilip Rai and using threats to sway their votes.
Investigators claim to have uncovered evidence of significant financial transactions linked to the alleged plot. In light of these findings, the state government has recommended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also probe the case to trace the money trail.
