Tejashwi Yadav, along with five other people, have been named in connection with the murder of the Dalit leader.
Patna:
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who will head the opposition coalition in this month’s Assembly elections, delivered an ultimatum to Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to either arrest and question him for the murder of a Dalit leader or ordering a CBI investigation that would reveal “unsubstantiated” allegations.
In a second blow to the Chief Minister, Yadav also reminded Nitish Kumar that he could have him arrested, in his capacity as Minister of the Interior, even before he presented his nomination papers. Mr. Yadav, who has written to the Chief Minister, described the accusations against him as “unfounded” and said that he was willing to let the law take its own course.
Tejashwi Yadav and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav, along with four others, have been named in connection with the assassination of Dalit leader Shakti Malik in the Purnea district of Bihar. They were named in an FIR filed by Mr. Malik’s wife on the day of the murder.
Mr. Malik’s wife has alleged that it was a politically motivated murder, as her husband was ready to run in the elections as an independent candidate after his expulsion from RJD.
However, Vishal Sharma, the police superintendent, has said that so far no evidence has been discovered against Tejashwi Yadav, his brother or any other RJD leader.
Sharma has further said that seven people have been arrested and sent to jail. Police have also recovered what they believe to be the murder weapons, Sharma added.
According to the police, Shakti Malik used to act as a local moneylender, blackmailing and harassing those who borrowed from him if they could not pay on time.
Those harassed by Malik were behind his murder, the police officer said.
Shakti Malik, 37, was shot dead on Sunday by three unidentified men riding motorcycles, who broke into his home and killed him in his sleep. After his death, a video appeared on social media showing a confrontation between Mr. Malik and Tejashwi Yadav.
In the video, Mr. Malik accuses Mr. Yadav of demanding Rs 50 lakh for a party ticket to contest the Assembly elections from Raniganj’s seat. He also accuses Mr. Yadav of threatening to kill him.
Nitish Kumar, whose JDU is in power in Bihar with the BJP, hopes to win a fourth term in elections this month. Tejashwi Yadav and his RJD have teamed up with Congress to stop him.
Yadav, who served as Nitish Kumar’s deputy between 2015 and 2017 (when the JDU and RJD were allies) has been extremely critical of the ruling government in the run-up to the elections. Last month he criticized Kumar for the unemployment situation in the state.
The elections will be held in three phases starting on October 28 and the results will be delivered on November 10.
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