BHAGALPUR/PATNA:
Arjit Shashwat, the son of Union minister
Ashwini Kumar Choubey and accused of instigating communal violence at Nathnagar in
Bhagalpur on March 17, was sent to judicial custody on Sunday for 14 days.
Though police claimed Arjit was arrested outside the Hanuman Temple near Patna Junction after Saturday midnight, the minister’s son said he surrendered after the Bhagalpur court rejected his anticipatory bail petition earlier on the day. Arjit was brought to Bhagalpur on Sunday morning and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days, Bhagalpur SSP Manoj Kumar said. “Arjit and 23 others are named accused in the three FIRs lodged in connection with the violence in which several policemen and common people were injured,” he said.
But contrary to the police claims, Arjit, along with his supporters, had reached Hanuman Temple on Saturday midnight and told media persons that he was going to surrender. “I am going to surrender. We will also approach higher courts. The FIR against me is fabricated. I was not absconding as I have not committed any crime. If raising slogans in praise of ‘Bharat Mata’ and ‘Jai Sri Ram’ is a crime, I may be called a criminal,” Arjit told reporters.
Sources said police reached Hanuman Temple almost ten minutes after Arjit talked to media persons.
A Bhagalpur court had issued arrest warrant against Arjit on March 24 as police, in its FIR, accused him of instigating communal violence after leading a procession without official permission through Muslim-dominated Nathnagar locality to celebrate the first day of new ‘Vikram Samvat’ on March 17 .
“Bhagalpur police had shared specific inputs with Patna police about Arjit’s movement in the state capital, leading to his arrest,” the SSP said and added soon after his anticipatory bail petition was rejected, they had moved the court to seek proclamation notice for initiating property attachment procedure against Arjit.
“We were expecting to get the proclamation notice by Monday, following which property attachment process would have been initiated,” the SSP said and added, “Arjit had sought permission through a written letter for the March 17 procession only the previous night, and his request had been rejected.”
Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj told TOI on Sunday Arjit tried to escape out of Patna, but on the Bhagalpur police’s specific information, he was arrested near Hanuman Temple. “Bhagalpur police had contacted us on March 30 seeking support to arrest the accused. We had barricaded all routes and when Arjit failed to move towards Naubatpur, he returned to Hanuman Temple and was arrested,” Maharaaj said.
“We were getting regular inputs about Arjit’s movement through technical surveillance and shared the information with Patna police,” the Bhagalpur SSP said.
Arjit had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 assembly election from Bhagalpur constituency.
Arjit Shashwat after his arrest.
