Patna:
It is “criminal disorder”: is how Tejashwi Yadav described an exchange of fire between two groups near Patna on Wednesday, expressing shock at the law and order situation in the state and urging Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to “come to his senses”.
“Around 100-200 rounds of firing took place near Patna and the accused are roaming around freely. They are even giving interviews, both the gangster and the politician. You can understand the law and order situation in the state,” Tejashwi Yadav, who is the leader of opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, told reporters.
There are reports that more than 70 rounds of bullets were fired in a shootout between a former legislator Anant Singh and gangster Sonu in Nauranga village in Barh on the outskirts of Patna district. No casualty has been reported during the firing so far, Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avkash Kumar said.
“Conflicting versions are coming from the area. We are investigating these. A section of villagers claimed that initially some shots were fired, on the instructions of the former MLA, Anant Singh, by his supporters,” said Barh Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rakesh Kumar.
Some people claimed that there was an exchange of fire between the two groups, the police officer said.
“Law and order has become criminal disorder in Bihar. The criminals have complete protection in the state. The people in power are giving protection to these criminals. People should come together and throw out this government. No criminal will be spared when we will form the government,” said Mr Yadav, who leads the Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD.
“We will show how to strengthen law and order. This is not a double engine government – here one engine represents criminals, while the other engine is of corruption,” claimed Mr Yadav, telling the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, to step out and let people know about what’s happening in the state.
The police, however, have ruled out the possibility of a gang war, and said, “As claimed by villagers, one side fired in retaliation only. It does not appear to be a gang war”.
A case was registered based on a complaint filed by a family which claimed that their house was targeted during the firing, the police said.
Commenting on the incident, former MLA Anant Singh told reporters that a group of poor people from Nauranga village met him and alleged that they were thrown out of their houses by some influential people, who also locked their houses.
“I went to the village in the evening and asked my supporters to open the locks. I also asked my people to call those who had forcibly locked the houses of poor people. When my men reached the home of Sonu-Monu (villagers), they were attacked. Supporters of Sonu-Monu started firing….and my men also retaliated,” Mr Singh said.
“One of my supporters has sustained a bullet injury,” he said, adding that the local police did not take action on the complaint filed by poor villagers.
Mr Singh, the gangster-turned-politician, whose MLA wife crossed over from the opposition RJD to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), is also known as ‘chhote sarkar‘. He had represented the Mokama assembly seat several times.
“The former MLA came to our house and several people were with him in the 10 cars that followed him. They carried rifles and pistols and started shooting at us. They wanted to finish us off. A bullet went past my son’s ear,” claimed gangster Sonu.
Sonu Singh and Monu Singh are brothers from Jalalpur village. They have long been rivals of former MLA Anant Singh. The conflict between the two parties stems from Sonu and Monu’s association with a group that opposes Anant Singh. However, after Anant Singh’s release from jail, the strained relationship between the brothers and the former MLA had reportedly improved. However, the situation took a turn on Wednesday, with an incident of indiscriminate firing escalating tensions.
The brothers remain on the run as police intensify efforts to track them down.
The former legislator faced disqualification from the assembly after he was convicted in June 2020 in a case which was registered following the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and two hand grenades from his ancestral residence two years earlier.
However, in August 2024, the Patna High Court acquitted Singh of the criminal charges of illegally possessing an AK-47 rifle along with other arms and directed the authorities to release him from jail.