A Cabinet minister in the erstwhile unified Bihar and former RJD leader Aklu Ram Mahto was arrested this afternoon minutes after he filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from the Bokaro assembly seat at Chas. His bail plea has been rejected.
A non-bailable warrant has been pending against him for the last two years. Mahto was arrested in 1980 after a person died in police firing at Kumar Mangalam stadium. Mahto had stopped the game, leading to violence. Mahto said he had lost track of the case.
Around 11 am today, Mahto filed his nomination in front of the subdivisional officer, Raj Mohan Tewary, when he was arrested. He applied for bail in the court of the additional session judge (IV) P.K. Srivastav, which was rejected. Mahto was refused the RJD ticket after Bachha Singh joined the party.
Mahto was a minister of institutional finance in the Rabri Devi government for three years, before the formation of Jharkhand.
Poll boycott posters
The election campaign of the political parties ended on Tuesday but the boycott campaign by the rebels is still on in full swing. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) pasted posters at various places of Atka Bazar under Bagoder police station on Tuesday night and threaten the villagers of dire consequences if they venture out and participate in the elections.
Other than boycotting the polls, the rebels have also criticised the police who have pasted posters in the area to counter extremism.
The local police, early on Wednesday morning, went on a special drive to remove the fresh posters of the rebels.
Landmine haul
Hazaribagh police on Wednesday claimed to have recovered powerful landmines from villages in Vishnugarh and Churchu.
Superintendent of Police Ashish Batra said landmines were recovered in a joint raid of CRPF and BSF personnel. This was sixth recovery in the past ten days. Two landmines of 45 kg and 25 kg each were recovered. The landmine recovery had confirmed reports that rebels had planned to target patrol parties. Batra said landmines recovered in Churchu and Vishnugarh were planted near highways to target patrolling parties.
