RJD chief lalu Prasad on Sunday lost his cool and was caught on camera threatening police officials who were busy searching his wife Rabri Devi’s vehicle during wee hours in Sonepur. later, Rabri Devi filed a police compliant against officials at the local police station alleging a “conspiracy by communal forces to kill her along with lalu Prasad”.
The incident happened when Rabri, who is contesting lok Sabha polls from Saran, was returning from campaign and her cavalcade was stopped at Shivbachan Chowk in Sonepur by police and district officials for checking. The officials had reportedly received information that the RJD candidate along with her husband lalu Prasad had been distributing money in the area to woo the voters.
Soon after their cavalcade was stopped, both lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi lost their cool and opposed frisking of their vehicles. While exchanging angry words with frayed temper and frowning eyebrows both alleged it was conspiracy by communal forces to kill them. A large crowd of RJD supporters too had gathered at the spot and were seen threatening police officials for their move.
Rabri Devi is pitted against BJP candidate Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Salim Pravez of the JD(U) on Saran seat from where lalu Prasad has been winning lok Sabha poll for the last two consecutive terms. In the tough battle of Saran this time lalu Prasad along with his wife Rabri Devi, elder daughter Misa Bharti and younger son Tejashwi Yadav have been campaigning hard in the constituency for the last several days.
The Yadav couple charged that there was no woman police personnel in the searching team and also they did not have any search order to frisk the vehicles. Both, along with their party leader Jay Prakash Yadav, and supporters were seen raising fingers on the officials while threatening them for their search operation. They also pointed towards a black colour SUV parked nearby without a number plate and charged that some criminals had been following them in this vehicle since long.
“The plan was either to kill us or to put cash in our vehicle. They overtook our car and the police stopped us on the pretext of searching for vehicle with proper papers,” alleged the fuming lalu Prasad. He also said that he would complain to the Election Commission for this and would not let this go easily.
Rabri Devi who later lodged a complaint against the police and district officials in the local Sonepur police station too charged that it was a conspiracy to kill them. “Earlier, the police had already checked our vehicle and bags…so there was no need to recheck them again,” she rued.The whole incident was captured in media camera and was aired in private channels on Sunday. Though, lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi had also charged that the searching team had no camera, as mandatory by EC, to record the search operation.
However, the Saran SP Sudhir Kumar later said, “Since we got information that laluji and Rabri Devi were distributing money in Dighwara area of Sonepur so a team of officials was sent for the suitable action but the RJD leaders and their supporters tried to obstruct Government officials from doing their duty.“The officials, the local SDO and DSP were present when their vehicle was searched”, said the Saran SP while refuting the allegation that there was no woman police personnel while Rabri Devi’s vehicle was searched. “She has been provided woman policemen with her and they were present there”, he said.