Patna: A simmering power struggle within Patna Municipal Corporation burst into public view on Wednesday, as Mayor Sita Sahu staged a protest against police action involving her son, Shishir, in the Mauryalok complex.
The mayor, backed by a group of supporting councillors, voiced strong objections to a police search warrant issued against her son, calling the move politically motivated and a result of internal rivalry with Municipal Commissioner.
“Those labelling my son a criminal are themselves neck-deep in corruption,” Sahu alleged, accusing the commissioner of orchestrating a conspiracy against her family. She claimed that the corporation’s functioning has been stalled for two months due to the ongoing tension.
In a sharp exchange with reporters, Sahu questioned the legitimacy of the police’s actions, stating that searches were conducted at her residence and her son’s in-laws’ home without a warrant. She also accused officers of attempting to break down doors while her daughter-in-law was in the bathroom, calling the incident a clear overreach.
Further intensifying her accusations, the mayor pointed out that the commissioner uses private security, questioning why similar scrutiny was applied to her son. “We started exposing the commissioner’s black book of corruption — that’s when all this began,” she said.
Sahu has sought intervention from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, and the state BJP leadership, alleging that the police are under pressure to arrest Shishir “at any cost”.
The episode has deepened the divide within the municipal corporation. Councillor Vinay Kumar dismissed the mayor’s protest as political theatre. “The mayor must first explain why her son attends council meetings. Until now, she was seen as a dignified leader — but now she’s resorting to abuse,” he said.
