Patna: A day after being pronounced guilty, Begusarai fast track court on Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to LJP MP Surajbhan Singh in connection with the murder of a farmer Rami Singh 16 years ago.

Amid tight security judge R.P. Dubey pronounced the verdict and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000. The Begusarai fast track court had held Surajbhan and two others “guilty” for invading Madhurapur village in Begusarai on January 16, 1992, and shooting Rami to death. Surajbhan represents Ballia Lok Sabha seat in Begusarai.

He is considered to be a close associate of LJP chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Hundreds of supporters of Singh gathered around the court to hear the verdict.

US help

The US department of agriculture (Usda) will provide $ 3 million (Rs 12 crore) to Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh — states that were affected by the 2007 floods as a part of their relief efforts in India.

The grant would be a part of a total donation of $ 13 million meant for India by Usda to Care, an organisation working for relief.