After ordering a probe into the meeting of Minority Welfare Minister Abdul Ghafoor with former Siwan RJD MP and strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin in jail, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought a report from the IG (Prison).
The photographs of the meeting, held on Sunday in jail superintendent office, went viral on social media on Tuesday. Nitish on Wednesday said, “I have sought a report from the IG (Prison).” The opposition BJP on Wednesday in the Assembly demanded sacking of the Minister and a reply from the Government. When there was no response from the Government side, the BJP members staged walkout. They accused the Maha Gathbandhan Government of cozying up with the criminals.
IG (Prison) Anand Kishore said he has already asked DM Siwan to submit a report on the visit of the Minister to jail and his meeting with the former MP. Commenting on the photograph, Siwan jail superintendent Radheshyam Suman said the Minister visited the jail and met Shahabuddin in the jail office. There is a provision to serve snacks to the Minister, he said but expressed surprise how camera was allowed inside the jail premises. He said this was being investigated.
The photograph showed Ghafoor and Raghunathpur MlA Harishankar Yadav sitting with Shahabuddin, who has been convicted for life, in a well furnished room and the table full of plates of snacks. Both Ghafoor and Yadav are in RJD. A PhD in Political Science 49 years old Shahabuddin in crisp kurta, pajama looked relaxed in their company.
This sparked a debate that Shahabuddin, who last week was granted bail from Patna high court in connection with a 12 years old double murder and kidnapping case in which a special court had sentenced him to life imprisonment, once again started holding darbar in jail with senior politicians in attendance.
The four term Siwan MP, who is facing another life term for killing two brothers by forcing them bath in acid, is known for holding darbar in jail. He is behind bars for over a decade and was debarred from contesting polls in 2009.
Ghafoor pleaded, “He is an honourable leader of our party and I went to meet him out of courtesy. There is no political angle of this event.”
RJD supremo lalu Prasad however defended Ghafoor and Yadav meeting Shahabuddin. When asked, he shot back, “Is it a crimeIJ” He said it out of courtesy that the Minister went to meet him. He also added, “When I was in jail I would serve the visitors with snacks and tea.”
But BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi demanded that CM Nitish Kumar should axe the Minister who went to meet a criminal in jail. Another BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said now it has been proved there is nexus between criminal and the Government. Nothing could be more shocking than a Minister visiting a criminal in prison, he added.
Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav also defended the meeting and said Priyanka Gandhi too went to meet the killers of her father in jail.
Shahabuddin, who represented Siwan in lok Sabha four times till 2008 and had been the MlA twice, is facing no less than 35 criminal cases and languishing in prison for about ten years. In May 2007, he was found guilty in a case of kidnapping with intent to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court. However, on March 2, 2016, he was granted bail by a single bench of Justice Anjana Prakash of the Patna High Court.