Anant Singh following rule of law; Mokama violence a conspiracy, claims central minister Lalan Singh

Patna, Nov 3 (PTI) Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias 'Lalan Singh' on Monday alleged that the Mokama poll violence, in which Jan Suraaj Party supporter Dular Chand Yadav was killed, was a "conspiracy" and asserted that Anant Singh, arrested JD(U) candidate from Mokama for the murder, cooperated with the police and followed the rule of law.

Controversial former Bihar MLA, Anant Singh, who seeks to reclaim Mokama seat, along with his two other associates-- Manikant Thakur and Ranjeet Ram --were arrested in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in connection with the murder last week. Yadav died while he was campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party's candidate Piyush Priyadarshi in Mokama area last week.

Lalan Singh, along with Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, on Monday visited Mokama and campaigned for Anant Singh.

Addressing a gathering, Lalan Singh said, "After Anant Singh's arrest, every person should contest the election as 'Anant Singh. When Anant Babu was out, my responsibility was less, but now that he is in jail, my responsibility has increased even more.

"From today, I have taken the command of Mokama into my own hands. I must say that there is a conspiracy behind the arrest of Anant Singh. The truth will soon come out as the police are investigating the case and people will come to know about the conspirators also".

The police on Monday registered an FIR for the alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct as the number of vehicles in the campaign was beyond the permissible limit.

"A case has been registered against the organisers of the campaign," said a senior official on the condition of anonymity. He refused to divulge details about the persons named in the FIR.

Lalan Singh said he had watched several videos related to the Mokama violence on Thursday.

"The incident, involving the death of a person in Mokama last week, was not spontaneous. A conspiracy was hatched for that. Anant Singh respected the rule of law and he was arrested. But the truth will soon come out," said the Union minister who is the MP from Munger.

Mokama is a part of the Munger Lok Sabha seat.

"We must keep our morale high. We must respond to those who are plotting the conspiracy. You should remain united and ensure that Anant Babu wins with a huge margin to strengthen the hands of CM Nitish Kumar, chief of JD(U)," he said while campaigning.

The police are keeping a close watch on the candidates who are contesting polls, including in Mokama.

"A large number of security personnel has been deployed in the area. While 13 companies of Central Armed Police Force are camping in the area, two units of Special Task Force and four Quick Response Teams of Patna Police have also been deployed there," said the official.

The police have so far registered a total of five FIRs in connection with the murder of Yadav and related incidents. PTI PKD NN