Ranchi, Dec 26: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders on Monday sought relaxation of rules to meet their party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. However, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das seems in no mood to bend rules for Lalu Prasad Yadav. Lalu Prasad and 15 others convicted in a fodder scam case have been lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail from Saturday night.
Jharkhand RJD president Annapurna Devi, former minister Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, MLA Bhola Yadav, MLC Ranvijay Singh and advocate Chitranjan Prasad visited Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday in Birsa Munda Central Jail. The RJD leaders then went to meet CM Raghubar Das at his residence and requested “special provisions” for their leader owing to his public and political stature.
The jail manual specifically allows meetings with inmates from 8 am to noon from Mondays to Saturdays. Also, only three persons can meet an inmate at a time. However, RJD leaders wanted that Lalu’s supporters and family members should be allowed to meet him daily. As many as 50 people have registered their names for meeting Lalu till Monday noon.
“Meeting hours specified in the manual are for ordinary prisoners. Lalu Prasad is the leader of masses, he has been Bihar chief minister and he is heading a political party. Thousands of supporters from Bihar and Jharkhand are in Ranchi, anxious to meet him, but are refused permission,” Annapurna Devi told Telegraph India. however, CM Raghubar Das didn’t give them any positive response.
“The chief minister was unwilling and did not give any positive response to our request (to bend jail norms related to visiting hours and number of visitors). He told us the jail manual cannot be relaxed for any prisoner,” Annapurna Devi was quoted as saying. The RJD leader later accused the Jharkhand government of being partial in implementing rules.
Speaking to a newspaper, Birsa Munda Central Jail superintendent A K Choudhary said that the administration was maintaining a log noting down names of RJD workers who would like to meet Lalu. The RJD chief would go through the register every evening and decide who he would meet during the week, said the jail superintendent.