JDU Candidate Anant Singh Arrested in Mokama Murder Case: In a dramatic pre-election development, former MLA and Janata Dal (United) candidate Anant Singh was arrested late Saturday night in connection with the murder of Dularchand Yadav, a supporter of the rival Jan Suraj Party. The arrest, confirmed by Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma, has sent shockwaves through Bihar’s political landscape, particularly in the volatile Mokama assembly constituency.
The case revolves around the killing of 75-year-old Dularchand Yadav, a local strongman and former RJD leader. The incident occurred on Thursday, October 30, in the Mokama Tal area when Yadav was campaigning for Jan Suraj Party candidate Piyush Priyadarshi. The attack followed a violent clash between rival political groups.
A Brutal Death and Direct Allegations
An FIR lodged by Yadav’s grandson directly names Anant Singh, his nephews, and others as the accused. While initial reports suggested Yadav was shot, the postmortem report later confirmed he died due to cardio-respiratory failure from a ruptured lung and multiple rib fractures. This grim detail indicates that after being shot in the ankle, the elderly man was run over by a vehicle.
Police stated that Singh’s arrest, along with two associates, was based on evidence, eyewitness accounts, and the postmortem findings, as the incident occurred in the presence of the candidate.
Rival Candidate Calls Arrest “Too Little, Too Late”
Piyush Priyadarshi, the Jan Suraj Party candidate from Mokama, told news agency ANI, “This is a good sign, but it would have been better if they had acted earlier.” He added, “Today he was moving around in a convoy of 50 vehicles and was even participating in election campaigning. He should have been arrested as soon as the FIR was registered… but better late than never. What’s crucial now is how the police investigates the entire matter… It is a relief for his [Yadav’s] family.”
The Power Politics of Mokama
The arrest intensifies the high-stakes drama in Mokama, a constituency long dominated by strongmen and caste rivalries. Anant Singh, popularly known as “Chhote Sarkar” (Little Master), is a powerful figure and a multi-term MLA from the area. His re-entry into the electoral fray on a ticket from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU had already made this seat a major flashpoint.
Singh’s main opponent is Veena Devi, the wife of his late rival strongman Surajbhan Singh, who is contesting on a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket. The murder victim, Dularchand Yadav, belonged to the influential Bhumihar community, the same as the Anant Singh family, but the two groups shared a history of rivalry. This adds a deep layer of personal and caste-based animosity to the already fierce political contest.
With voting in Mokama scheduled for November 6th, this arrest has thrown the high-profile contest into further uncertainty, putting the ruling JDU on the defensive and highlighting the enduring nexus of crime and politics in the region.
