Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, September 4
Following reports of a large number of RJD workers from Bihar meeting RJD president Lalu Prasad at Kelly Bungalow, the Jharkhand government today decided to act tough to restrict entry in bungalows converted into jail for Lalu Yadav.
The three-acres sprawling bungalow with British architect was the official residence of the director’s residence in Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Ranchi. It was converted into a make-shift jail for Lalu following pandemic fear in RIMS.
The former chief minister of Bihar had been convicted in the fodder scam. His political clout however continued as ticket aspirants for the ensuing Bihar assembly election had been thronging the bungalow without any restriction.
On Thursday, MLA Samta Devi met Lalu but was immediately quarantined along with driver and security guard. The leaders eyeing party tickers from different constituencies are meeting him at Ranchi and submitting bio-data.
Even senior Congress leaders are meeting him in the jail and discussing seat sharing for the Bihar assembly elections. Today, a senior Congress MP also went to see Lalu at Ranchi. Lalu has been authorised by the state unit of the party to select candidates for the assembly elections.
He was charged with violating the jail manual’s code during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections too. He was holding meetings with the leaders of the grand alliance in the RIIMS prison ward. The Election Commission complained and meetings stopped.
IG of Prisons Birnedra Bhushan had sent a strong message to the deputy commissioner of Ranchi alleging the police officers on security duty at Kelly Bungalow were deliberately allowing outsiders to meet Lalu with their bio-data for the coming assembly elections in Bihar.
Birendra Bhushan said Lalu was a VIP convicted prisoner. Politicians were coming to meet him daily and issuing political statements from the converted jail. “It is unauthorised and illegal,” IG said, adding that allowing the meeting of outsiders to the prisoner was in violation of the standard operating procedure and guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs on lock down.
The Deputy Commissioner today posted three magistrates at the bungalow and deployed extra force to prevent meeting with the RJD president.
Bihar’s information and public relations minister Neeraj Kumar said there was an alliance between the JMM and RJD, the ruling parties in Jharkhand. Because of the indifferent attitude of the chief minister, Hemant Soren, RJD leaders were free to meet Lalu daily.
He recalled on August 28, Tejpratap Yadav, elder son of Lalu had also met him and police officers from Chutya police station had even called on Tejpratap in his hotel. District administration later registered FIRs against Tejpratap and owner of the hotel where he had stayed.
Bihar’s deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi today said BJP would write to the Election Commission seeking intervention and preventing misuse of the jail facilities by Lalu for political purposes.
Lalu has been barred by the commission from contesting any election as he was disqualified following conviction in the series of cases related to fodder scam.
