Shifting of the don-turned-politician was kept under wraps, but his followers got a whiff of it
In a covert operation on Saturday, the Bihar police transferred jailed don and former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin from Siwan prison to Patna under the cover of darkness, before packing him off to New Delhi on Sampoorna Kranti Express in the evening.
The action came on the heels of the Supreme Court’s February 15 order directing the Bihar government to transfer Shahabuddin to Tihar jail within a week to ensure a fair trial in the cases lodged against him through video conferencing. The apex court order was in response to pleas of Asha Ranjan, wife of slain Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, and Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons were allegedly killed at the don’s behest.
A posse of police personnel is accompanying the gangster-turned-politician on the train, which will reach New Delhi on Sunday morning.
Tight security measures were put in place when ‘saheb’ started from Siwan jail around 2.30 am on Saturday. While details of Shahabuddin’s transfer was kept under wraps till the last moment, some of his followers who got a whiff of the movement followed the police motorcade in a procession of cars and bikes and raised slogans in support of their leader.
Shahabuddin’s caravan reached Patna’s Beur jail around 7.30 am, where he was lodged till he left for Tihar jail. “He was in the general ward at Beur and also interacted jailed don-turned-MLA Anant Singh and Bahubali Ritlal Yadav,” a police source said.
After midday, Shahabuddin’s supporters started gathering in large numbers at Patna junction. To avoid law and order issues, the police shifted Shahabuddin’s boarding to Rajendra Nagar terminal, about 3.5 kms away from Patna junction, from where Sampoorna Kranti Express originates.
The administration put in a lot of effort to avoid last year’s September 11-like scene. Shahabuddin had then taken out a several kilometres long procession with his supporters, after being released on bail.
PASSENGERS LEFT STRANDED
Passengers of Sampoorna Kranti’s S2 coach were left stranded as they were not allowed to board the coach. While a few of the passengers were redirected to other boggies, most others were left in a fix with no information coming from the authorities. Though police have put up tight security, some of Shahabuddin’s supporters also boarded the train, without ticket. They said they were ready to pay the fine. “We love him and will see him off till Tihar jail,” one of the supporters said.
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