Patna: Former Bihar MLA and controversial strongman Anant Singh was arrested early Sunday in connection with the murder of Jan Suraaj supporter Dular Chand Yadav in Mokama, a development that has sent shockwaves through the politically volatile constituency ahead of the state elections.
Singh, recently fielded by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) from Mokama, was taken into custody from his Barh residence along with two aides — Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram — both allegedly present during the fatal clash, said Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma.
“Police have arrested Anant Singh, Manikant Thakur, and Ranjeet Ram in connection with the murder of Dular Chand Yadav,” Sharma told reporters at a late-night press briefing, flanked by Patna District Magistrate Thyagarajan S.M.
Yadav, a gangster-turned-politician and former RJD leader, was killed on Thursday while campaigning for his nephew Priyadarshi Piyush, the Jan Suraaj Party candidate backed by strategist Prashant Kishor.
A post-mortem report cited by police revealed Yadav died of cardiorespiratory failure caused by injuries to the heart and lungs from a blunt object, confirming homicide.
Anant Singh — husband of sitting RJD MLA Neelam Devi — has denied any involvement, claiming he was away when violence erupted.
“I don’t know what happened. My people said Yadav’s men vandalised their vehicles,” Singh said, accusing rival Suraj Bhan (husband of RJD MP Veena Devi) of orchestrating the murder “to frame me.”
Once a RJD heavyweight, Singh was disqualified from the Assembly in 2022 following his Arms Act conviction. His wife later retained Mokama for RJD in a bypoll, while Singh has since switched allegiance to the JD(U), returning to Nitish Kumar’s fold ahead of the 2025 elections.
The murder has triggered a bureaucratic shake-up: the Election Commission on Saturday transferred Patna SP (Rural) Vikram Sihag, suspended SDPO Abhishek Singh (Barh-2), and replaced the Barh SDO (also Mokama Returning Officer) along with another SDPO over lapses in duty.
With just days left before polling — November 6 and 11, and counting on November 14 — Mokama has once again become a cauldron of crime and politics, reviving Bihar’s uneasy legacy of muscle power in electoral battles.
