The National Investigation Agency (NIA) got four days’ remand of former MlA Gopal Singh Patar alias Raja Peter, after he was produced before the designated NIA court of Diwakar Pandey here on Monday.
As per NIA records, he was arrested early in the morning on Monday from JAP II at Tatisilswai in Ranchi.
Before producing Patar to the court, the court campus was converted into a fortress with tight security everywhere.
“The NIA was seeking a remand for 7 days for Raja Peter but the court granted remand of only four days,” said Patar’s advocate Rohit Kumar. The NIA has assured that the former minister will not be tortured during interrogation and has also given permission that Patar could call an advocate of his choice while being interrogated, he added.
“Patar will be produced again in the Court on October 13,” said the advocate.
Kumar further said that his client was arrested on the basis of the confessional statement of someone where the persons have admitted the involvement of Raja Peter. “We have no idea what has been said in that statement; we could say anything only after going through the statement after getting a copy of it,” said the advocate.
The NIA sources, however, revealed that Patar was arrested on the basis of the statement recorded by Rajmohan Munda. As many as 7 diaries, 1 CD and two mobile phones seized by the NIA, were also produced in the Court. Patar was arrested allegedly for conniving with the Maoists and paying them to get his closest political rival and sitting Tamar MlA Ramesh Singh Munda killed. Before arresting him, the NIA detained Peter for interrogation and conducted raids at his locations in Bundu.
Remesh Singh Munda was Patar’s biggest rival and he lost to him in the 2000 and 2005 assembly elections.
History sheeter Patar gathered limelight in 2009 after he defeated the then Chief Minister Shibu Soren in Tamar bypoll, forcing him to step down from the post. later, he also became a minister in the Arjun Munda Government.
Patar, who was appointed president of the Janata Dal (United), joined BJP in 2014 but contested 2014 Assembly Elections as independent after he was denied ticket from the party from Tamar and lost the seat to Munda’s son Vikas Singh Munda. Earlier on Saturday, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Sheshnath Singh was also arrested by the NIA from Jorapokhar in Dhanbad for providing information to the Maoists regarding the movements of Munda. NIA, currently investigating the matter, claimed that Munda was attacked following information was passed out to the Maoists by the ASI. Ramesh Singh Munda along with his two bodyguards, one party colleague and a student was shot dead allegedly by a group of dreaded Maoist Kundan Pahan on July 9, 2008 while delivering his speech at a school function at SS High School at Bundu located in his Tamar constituency, hardly 50 km from the State Capital.
The NIA took over the investigation on June 30 this year following Munda’s son Vikas Singh Munda wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister demanding a high-level probe in this regard.