Laloo sheds crocodile tears once more

Still smarting after the controversial snub by the Governor on lawlessness in the state, ruling RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav visited this re...

Still smarting after the controversial snub by the Governor on lawlessness in the state, ruling RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav visited this remote village to express solidarity with residents traumatised by murder of two NGO workers Sarita and Mahesh Kant.

Laloo’s speech had the by now familiar refrain: we will ask the CBI to probe. While the villagers were happy that Laloo had dropped by, the state police were taken aback by the CBI remark: they have already arrested four of the six named in the FIR—all from the family of one Samman Yadav.

Standing in the impressive community centre built by the villagers galvanised by Mahesh and Sarita, Laloo played to the gallery. He announced that ‘‘he would ensure that their work continued’’. And that he would help educate Sarita’s children and their statues would be installed in the village.

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Most importantly, he and the state DGP told the public that ‘‘there was no reason to feel scared’’ as a police picket would be set up in village Rajbigha. This is the adjoining village where the suspects live. Police claim they had offered bodyguards to Mahesh but he had refused saying protection would be ‘‘awkward.’’

It all started with Mahesh and Sarita restoring some land to the Bhuiyan community that the suspect Yadav family had illegally occupied for about two decades. The villagers trusted them more and more after this.

They even played cupid. A girl from the Yadav family got married to somebody in Shabdo. Villagers believe that it was only with the duo’s help that the two had been able to get together. The Yadav family are believed to have told the police that they took away the ‘‘izzat of the family and obviously had to pay.’’

The final blow was struck when Mahesh involved himself in another land dispute between Samman Yadav and Suresh Yadav of Shabdo. When they started building a house, Mahesh took up the case of Suresh Yadav. On November 2, he got thanedar Krishna Singh to inspect the site. The Yadav family shot Singh and in the encounter that followed, the head of the family Samman Yadav was killed.

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Since that day, the Yadav family had made it clear that they would hunt Mahesh and Sarita down. The threat perception was so strong that the villagers would often escort Srita and Mahesh at night.

There are 10 accused in the case but only three have been arrested so far. Laloo indicated that this case would also be ‘‘reopened.’’ The police have arrested four suspects from Yadav’s family, out of the six named in the FIR. Samman Yadav’s son, Sadhu Yadav, the main accused is absconding. Now CBI has its task cut out: Find the missing two.

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