Days ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, Gangster-turned-politician Dular Chand Yadav, once known for his close ties with prominent political figures in Bihar, was allegedly shot dead near the state capital on Thursday while campaigning for the elections, police said.
The incident took place in Mokama, which falls in Patna district but is situated 100 kms from the city, where Yadav, who had lately aligned with the local candidate of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, was said to have been involved in a clash with political rivals, as reported by PTI.
How Dular Chand Yadav was killed?
According to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma, “We received information that a supporter of a candidate died during the campaign in the Mokama Taal area. The exact cause of the incident is not known yet, as the body has not been handed over to the police.”
Yadav died while he was campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party’s candidate Piyush Priyadarshi, another officer said.
“Allegations are being levelled that the deceased was shot dead by supporters of his opponent’s party. Whether he succumbed to bullet injuries or it was an accidental death can only be known when the police get the body,” the SSP said, adding that the matter will be investigated from all angles.
Prashant Kishor reacts
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor said, “Senior leaders of the party have gone to Mokama. As soon as we receive any updates, we will inform everyone.”
JDU’s Mokama candidate Anant Singh says, ‘Yadav was first to raise his hand’
JD(U)’s Mokama candidate Anant Singh reacted to the killing of Jan Suraaj supporter Dularchand Yadav in Mokama.
He said, “We were meeting people and asking them to vote for us. On the way, we saw several vehicles; they too were campaigning and started shouting ‘Murdabad’. I told my supporters not to respond, and we moved away. Some of my vehicles were behind us. Surajbhan was fully prepared for a clash and his people started attacking our vehicles… Dularchand was the first one to raise his hand. I moved ahead with about 30 vehicles behind me, and they attacked 10 of the vehicles at the rear. My supporters’ vehicles were vandalised.”
Reacting to the incident, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav condemned the killing and called for an end to election-time violence. “There’s no need for violence during elections. We’ve never been in favour of violence. The code of conduct is in place right now, yet some people are roaming around with guns and bullets,” he said.
Jan Suraj Party’s state president Manoj Bharti, in a statement, alleged that the incident took place at the behest of those who seek votes by instilling fear of ‘jungle raj’.
“This is an assault on our democratic rights. We strongly condemn the attack on the convoy of our Mokama assembly poll candidate Priyadarshi Piyush and the killing of one of his supporters,” he said.
Bharti also said every candidate has the right to carry out a public outreach programme.
“Attacking them during poll campaigns, firing bullets to show dominance, and running a vehicle over a supporter to kill them are heinous crimes,” the Jan Suraaj Party leader said.
Further investigation is underway.
(With inputs from agencies)