Patna: Janata Dal (United) legislator Anant Singh, a prominent political figure from Mokama, will remain in judicial custody following the rejection of his bail plea by a special court in Patna. Singh was remanded in connection with the murder of local strongman Dularchand Yadav last month during the Bihar assembly election campaign.
Singh has been held at Beur Jail in Patna since the incident. Despite being in custody, he won the Mokama seat for a record sixth term in the November elections.
The killing of Dularchand Yadav occurred on October 30 in the Tal area of Mokama constituency. Yadav, campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party candidate Piyush Priyadarshi, reportedly came into a confrontation with Anant Singh’s convoy. Police reports suggest a clash between supporters escalated into verbal abuse, a physical altercation, and gunfire.
According to the Patna Police, Yadav was shot in the leg, but his death resulted from a heavy object passing over him. The family has alleged that Singh and his supporters ran a vehicle over Yadav after shooting him. Over 80 individuals, including Singh, were arrested in connection with the incident and sent to judicial custody.
Patna’s Director General of Police, Vinay Kumar, described the case as “riot-related” and stated that investigations are ongoing to determine whether Yadav’s death was intentional or accidental.
The Mokama constituency went to the polls on November 6 as part of the first phase of Bihar elections. Results declared on November 14 saw Singh defeat RJD candidate Veena Devi, wife of Suraj Bhan Singh, by more than 28,000 votes, while Priyadarshi secured just 19,000 votes.
