Patna: A Hajipur court in Bihar has acquitted former Member of Parliament Suraj Bhan Singh and former MLA Vijay Kumar, popularly known as Munna Shukla, in a high-profile murder case dating back to 1998. The case concerned the killing of alleged gangster Bablu Srivastava and three security personnel in Patedha, Vaishali district.
According to case records, Srivastava was being transported from Hajipur jail to Muzaffarpur court for a court appearance when the attack occurred. The incident resulted in the deaths of Srivastava and three accompanying security officials.
Both Suraj Bhan Singh and Munna Shukla had been serving sentences in the separate murder case of former minister Brijbihari Prasad. They were later named as accused in the Vaishali killings, allegedly linked to their association with Bhutkun Shukla, another controversial figure in Bihar’s political-criminal nexus.
Family members of Munna Shukla welcomed the court’s decision, claiming he and Singh had been falsely implicated due to “political rivalry and past associations”. “The court has delivered justice,” a relative of Shukla said following the verdict. Both leaders were present in court when the judgment was delivered.
