Patna, Nov 2: Bihar’s political landscape turned tense on Sunday following the arrest of Janata Dal (United) leader and former Mokama MLA Anant Singh in connection with the murder of Dularchand Yadav. The high-profile arrest, coming just days ahead of polling, has triggered a major political storm in the state.
A police team led by Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K. Sharma arrested Singh from his Barh residence around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday while he was reportedly asleep. He was later brought to Patna, produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate around 2 a.m., and remanded to judicial custody.
Confirming the arrest, SSP Sharma said that two other individuals—Manikant Thakur of Nadma village and Ranjeet Ram of Ladma village—were also present at the time of the crime. Evidence placing Singh at the scene of the incident reportedly led to his detention. A special CID team has been formed to investigate further.
Over 150 personnel from central paramilitary forces and local police units from Mokama, Barh, Ghoswari, Hathidah, and Bhadaur participated in the midnight operation. Notably, Singh had campaigned across several villages in Mokama just hours before his arrest.
Following his detention, a post appeared on his social media account stating, “Satyameva Jayate! I have full faith in the people of Mokama; they will now fight the elections.”
While Singh’s supporters have alleged a political conspiracy, his opponents termed the arrest a lawful action.
Dularchand Yadav, a supporter of Jan Suraj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi alias Lallu Mukhiya, was killed on Thursday. The autopsy revealed he died from chest injuries caused by being run over by a vehicle, not from a gunshot wound.
Anant Singh’s arrest, given his strong influence in Mokama, is expected to significantly impact the constituency’s electoral dynamics and potentially the NDA’s campaign strategy across Bihar.
