Patna: The political turmoil in Mokama deepened on Sunday after Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar said that Jan Suraaj Party candidate Piyush Priyadarshi will be arrested in connection with the murder of RJD leader Dularchand Yadav, which occurred last week during the Bihar Assembly election campaign.
The DGP said that based on available evidence, everyone present at the scene of the murder would be selectively arrested. “Former MLA Anant Singh has already been arrested on this basis. Similarly, action will be taken against Jan Suraaj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi,” he said at a press conference in Patna.
Anant Singh, known as a strongman from Mokama, was arrested late Saturday night from his Barh residence and has been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody. His arrest followed the postmortem findings that Dularchand Yadav died after being crushed by a vehicle rather than shot.
DGP Vinay Kumar said preliminary investigations suggest a riot-like situation broke out between supporters of Anant Singh and Piyush Priyadarshi. “Everyone present shares collective responsibility,” he said, adding that over 80 people have been arrested so far, and the CID and district police are jointly investigating the case.
Four FIRs have been registered from different sides in the case. The police are also probing whether Dularchand’s death was an accident or deliberate murder.
Dularchand Yadav, a long-time RJD leader who was supporting Piyush Priyadarshi, was killed during a violent clash in Mokama’s Tal area on October 30. His death has triggered widespread political outrage and heightened tension ahead of the polls.
