Violence flares up in Bihar's Mokama after Dularchand Yadav's murder, RJD candidate Veena Devi's car attacked

Mokama:

Ahead of the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar, tension continues to grip Mokama region a day after the murder of  Jan Suraaj Party supporter Dularchand Yadav. On Friday, chaos broke out again when stones were pelted at the car of Veena Devi, Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) candidate from Mokama and wife of strongman Surajbhan Singh, near Pandarak. As per the information, the vehicle was damaged in the attack. Sources said Dularchand Yadav's post-mortem was conducted under tight security. While returning from the hospital, Veena Devi's convoy was suddenly attacked in Pandarak. Visuals from Mokama showed fresh incidents of violence and firing, with one person in a video shouting, "Anant Singh's men are firing..."

Tension grips Mokama, police deployed

Supporters of the RJD and Surajbhan Singh claimed that they were travelling peacefully and had no weapons, yet their convoy was deliberately targeted. Following the incident, the atmosphere in the area turned tense which prompted heavy police deployment to prevent further escalation. An FIR has also been lodged against Mokama Janata Dal (United) candidate and strongman Anant Singh along with five others in connection with Dularchand Yadav's murder. Earlier, Anant Singh had blamed Surajbhan Singh for the murder. Dularchand was reportedly campaigning for Jan Suraj Party candidate Piyush Priyadarshi at the time of his murder on Thursday.

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Veena Devi and Surajbhan demand fair probe

Members of Veena Dev's family also attended Dularchand Yadav's funeral. Speaking to the media, Veena Devi said, "The election is one thing, but our families share personal ties. As soon as we heard about the incident, we cancelled our campaign schedule... We demand a magistrate-level inquiry on camera to ensure fairness."

Prashant Kishor on Dularchand murder case

Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor condemned the killing of Dularchand Yadav in Mokama and held the administration responsible for the incident, calling it a clear failure of law and order in the state. He said that such incidents reflect the persistence of the "jungle raj" that people of Bihar have long spoken about. Kishor further clarified that Yadav wasn't officially the worker of Jan Suraaj; instead, he was supporting the Jan Suraaj candidate from Mokama, Priyadarshi Piyush. "He isn't officially a member of Jan Suraaj. He was supporting Piyush Ji, the official Jan Suraaj candidate. This shows that 'jungle-raj' that people have always talked of. Violence has no place in democracy. The murder of someone is the responsibility of the administration and those responsible for law and order, and it's their failure," Prashant Kishor told the media.

Battle between two musclemen in Mokama

It is 'Chhote Sarkar' versus 'Dada' in the Mokama assembly segment of Bihar, which has been witness to fierce rivalry between the two gangster-turned-politicians for decades. 'Chhote Sarkar', as JD(U) candidate Anant Singh is known in the area, had an uninterrupted run since 2005, until conviction in a Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case in 2022 led to his disqualification.

In the ensuing bypoll, his wife Neelam Devi retained the seat for the RJD, which had given a ticket to her husband two years earlier, though acquittal in the case by the Patna High Court has led Singh to decide that he no longer needed the spouse to hold fort. 

'Dada', the nickname by which Surajbhan Singh is known, however, remains disqualified and, hence, needs his wife Veena Devi to stand in the assembly polls on his behalf, who is in the fray on an RJD ticket. Surajbhan Singh had begun his political career in 2000, contesting as an independent candidate. He wrested the Mokama seat from Dilip Singh, the late elder brother of Anant, whom the locals called 'bade sarkar', and who also became a minister in the government headed by RJD president Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi.

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