Bihar Police Arrest JD(U) Candidate Anant Singh in Murder of Rival Campaigner

The Bihar Police late Saturday night arrested Janata Dal (United) assembly candidate Anant Singh in connection with the killing of Dularchand Yadav, a campaign worker for Jan Suraaj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi, in Mokama. Two of Singh’s aides, Manikant Thakur and Ranjit Ram, were also detained.

Patna District Magistrate Thiyagrajan S.M. and Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikey Sharma announced the arrests at a 3 a.m. press briefing on Sunday. The operation involved nearly 150 Central Armed Police Force personnel and multiple raids at Singh’s suspected hideouts in the Barh and Mokama areas. Singh, a former MLA, was brought to Patna for questioning.

The arrests came hours after the Election Commission of India removed the Barh SDO and SDPO over the handling of the case.

According to police, the clash occurred on October 30 between supporters of rival candidates, during which stones were thrown and Yadav sustained a gunshot wound that proved fatal. “Based on evidence, eyewitness statements, and the postmortem report, it was found that the incident took place in the presence of the candidate, Anant Singh, who is the main accused,” the SSP said. All three accused will be produced before the Barh court.

The postmortem confirmed a gunshot entry and exit wound in Yadav’s leg, with police deeming it a case of murder. “The Model Code of Conduct has been violated, and this is a serious matter,” the SSP added. The Patna DM said the administration was taking the incident “very seriously” and stressed that the MCC would be enforced strictly.

Yadav’s grandson, Neeraj Kumar, filed the FIR naming Singh, his nephews Karamveer and Ranveer, and two others.

Reacting to the arrest, Jan Suraaj candidate Priyadarshi said, “Anant was freely campaigning even after the FIR. The arrest should have happened earlier, but better late than never. Now the key is a fair investigation.”

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has replaced the Patna Rural SP and initiated disciplinary action against three officials for election-related lapses.