Patna, May 27: An FIR was lodged today against JD(U) legislator from Kuchaikote Amrendra Kumar Pandey alias Pappu Pandey at Hathua police station in Gopalganj for allegedly plotting the murder of a liquor trader, casting a shadow on the image of people’s representatives of the ruling alliance in the state.
Three armed motorcycle-borne criminals fired at the liquor trader, Anil Sah, near his liquor shop close to Hathwa Industrial Institute of Technology on Saturday around 7.30pm. He succumbed to injuries at Gopalganj sadar hospital around 9.30pm. The FIR against the MLA and his three relatives was lodged this morning following instruction from Gopalganj superintendent of police (SP) Natasha Gudia after a public protest, including road blockade.
Recently, Araria chief judicial magistrate P.K. Ratan issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against JD(U) MLA from Jokihat Sarfaraz Alam in a loot and assault case. Few other MLAs of the JD(U) and BJP have also been charged in criminal cases. (See chart)
Sources said the relatives of the deceased, along with the residents of the area, laid a siege to Hathua police station and held demonstration for several hours with the body of Sah. They also blocked Balua-Macchiapar, demanding immediate arrest of the killers and institution of a case against the MLA, allegedly unhappy over Sah’s kin bagging the contract of a liquor shop.
The deceased liquor trader’s uncle, Subhash Sah, told the SP that the murder of Sah was fallout of a rivalry over bagging a liquor shop contract. “The MLA hatched the conspiracy to eliminate Sah,” a kin of the deceased said.
As the mob was not in a mood to relent, the SP ordered the Hathua police station house officer to institute a case against the MLA and three members of his family — Urmila Devi (sister-in-law), Jaleshwar Pandey (father) and Ramashish Pandey (brother-in-law). The names of the three shooters, identified as Umesh Prasad, Arvind and Sanjay, also figured in the FIR lodged with Hathua police station by Subhash.
The police said Sah had uttered the name of Umesh before he succumbed to injuries.
The SP said: “Total seven persons have been made accused in the case.” She said raids were conducted at different hideouts of the accused to arrest them. But nobody could be traced till the filing of this report.
When asked about the arrest of the MLA, she said: “The role of the MLA is being probed. Action will be taken on the basis of the evidence.”
The SP said preliminary investigation revealed that business rivalry was the reason behind the murder of Sah, who allegedly played an important role in awarding contract of liquor shops to his relatives.
The MLA denied the charge of murdering Sah and said he was in Patna for the past three days.
Amrendra told The Telegraph over phone: “It is part of a larger conspiracy to defame me. I am ready to face the probe.”
He said: “We have been in the politics for long. So are the rivals. This is an attempt to tarnish my image.”
Amrendra’s sister-in-law, Urmila, is a former chairman of Gopalganj district board and aunt is the sarpanch (village head) of Khopikar panchayat.
The MLA’s brother, Satish, is a murder, kidnap and extortion accused in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
