Patna: A piece of black cloth tied to the gate of 10 Circular Road, the official residence of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, is a sign of the tough times the inhabitants of the bungalow are going through.
Almost all members of the family are fighting the long arm of the law.
Lalu is already convicted in four fodder scam cases, with two more still to go. His wife Rabri Devi and younger son Tejashwi are on the radar of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case related the railway hotels-for-land "deal". The Jharkhand High Court has rejected Lalu's plea to extend his provisional bail and his chances of doing any political campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha election seem really slim. The ED has filed the charge sheet against him, Tejashwi and Rabri. Tejashwi and Rabri have been summoned by Patiala House Court to appear on Friday.
And on September 20, a Delhi court will hear arguments on charges against Lalu's eldest daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar in an alleged money laundering case linked to the railways case.
Hence, the black cloth to ward off evil spirits and bad tidings - because desperate times call for desperate measures.
"The black cloth has been tied on the gate of 10 Circular Road on the suggestion of a tantrik. It is totka (black magic); it will keep away bad things and evil spirits," a source close to Lalu's family told The Telegraph.
Lalu's affinity to tantriks is not new. After getting relief from Supreme Court in the fodder scam case in July 2013, he had visited the ashram of Pagla Baba alias Bibhuti Narayan, a tantrik in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, and performed rituals. During the wedding of his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, more than a thousand lemons and chillies - believed to ward off the evil eye - were hanging from the gate in bundles.
On Tuesday, Tej Pratap visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi to pray for his father and family.
The ailing Lalu left for Ranchi on Wednesday, and Tejashwi and Rabri left for Delhi.
Lalu will surrender before the court on Thursday, and his son and wife will appear before the Patiala House Court on Friday.
Tejashwi and Rabri left 10 Circular Road at 1 pm. Lalu left Patna at 3:45 pm.
Lalu said at Patna airport: "I have full trust in the judiciary and I respect the court. I have been convicted by the lower court and I believe that I will get relief from the high court and Supreme Court. There is no doubt that I will get relief and I will get justice - today or tomorrow. I have always followed the order of the court and on the call of the court itself I am going there to surrender."
