Siwan, Dec. 9: Former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, whose name still evokes awe and terror in Siwan, received a major setback today, as special court judge Ajay Kumar Srivastav held him guilty in connection with the 2004 acid attack and murder of two brothers.
The judge will deliver the quantum of punishment on December 11 under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 364A (kidnapping with the intention of murder), 201 (efforts to wipe out evidence) and 120B (conspiracy for murder).
This is the third case in which Shahabuddin has been convicted of murder. The other three accused, Raj Kumar Sah, Sheikh Aslam and Arif Hussain, have been held guilty of the same offences.
On August 16, 2004, three sons of a local businessman, Chandkeshwar Prasad, were abducted from their house at Goshala Road under town police station and taken to Pratappur, the native village of the former MP.
According to sources, a land dispute between one of the accused, Sah, and the family of Chandkeshwar Prasad had triggered the murder. On the fateful day, Sah, a close associate of the former MP, went with the two other accused and demanded that the family should settle the matter immediately. A verbal duel broke out after which the accused persons left the place. But they returned a few hours later with arms and abducted the sons from Prasad's home and shop.
Then, acid was poured on the two brothers - Girish and Satish - leading to their death, while the third, Rajesh Roshan, managed to escape. He later became the sole witness to the gruesome crime.
Their mother, Kalawati Devi, had lodged an FIR with the town police station and accused the trio. During investigation, Shahabuddin was made a non-FIR accused.
Roshan was murdered on June 14, 2014, near DAV roundabout. This time, the father, Chandkeshwar Prasad, lodged an FIR with town police station naming Shahabuddin and his son Osama.
Rajan Kumar and Mohammad Mobin were the defence lawyers, while special prosecutor Jai Prakash Singh was from the prosecution side. Rajan Kumar, the advocate of Shahabuddin, said he would move the high court against the order.
Shahabuddin has been serving life sentence in connection with the acid attack case under sections 302, 364A, 120B and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.
He was awarded life sentence and 10-year imprisonment in six cases of murder and abduction and has been acquitted in four.
Eleven cases are pending in sessions courts, while more than 30 cases are pending in the courts of magistrates. Today's verdict comes 11 years after the murders.
He has been in prison since November 2005 after a special police team arrested him from his Delhi residence.
Shahabuddin was elected MLA (Independent) for the first time in 1986 and had a speedy rise from crime to politics.
He was a four-term Lok Sabha MP from 1996 and ruled Siwan with an iron hand. Even political parties were not allowed to put up their banners when he contested the polls. He was accused of opening fire at then SP of Siwan, S.K. Singhal.
"His name sends shivers among residents of Siwan and we get nightmares that the old days might return. His conviction is apt," said a resident.
His terror reached a climax when he and his associates were engaged in cross firing for over three hours on March 1, 2001, at his native village Pratappur in which two policemen and eight others were killed. His political clout began to dwindle after he was convicted in a murder case in 2007 and could not contest the elections. The RJD did field his wife Heena Saheb twice. But she lost.
Despite his falling political clout, the former MP is reported to hold a darbar on Wednesdays and talks to his followers. RJD chief Lalu Prasad paid him a visit inside jail around four years ago. During the recent elections, BJP leaders accused the Grand Alliance of selecting candidates according to the will of Shahabuddin, which was denied by the Grand Alliance leaders. During the elections, Shahabuddin was shifted to Bhagalpur jail and was sent back to Siwan jail after the polls ended.
During the Lalu-Rabri regime where the Muslim-Yadavs were magic words for access to power in Siwan, it was turned upside down. The Yadavs were at the receiving end as the CPI(ML) had most of their support. Former JNU president Chandrashekhar was gunned down in 1997. The present BJP MP Om Prakash Yadav had bullets fired on him because he dared to contest against him in Lok Sabha polls. An officer belonging to the Yadav caste was slapped because he went to arrest the associate of the former MP. The substantial Yadav voters voted against Lalu's party, while Shahabuddin was ruling the district.
