Manjhi demands inquiry into Shahabuddin’s death

PATNA: The death of don-turned-politician Md Shahabuddin in a Delhi hospital due to Covid-19 complications has stirred up a controversy in political circles in Bihar.
Former CM and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday demanded a judicial inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of former RJD MP from Siwan. Shahabuddin, who was serving life sentence in a double murder case in Tihar Jail on the Supreme Court’s directive, died at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital on Saturday.
Manjhi also urged PM Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar that the burial of Shahabuddin should be performed with full state honours. HAM(S) spokesperson Danish Rizwan said the ‘raaj’ (conspiracy) behind Shahabuddin’s death should come to the fore.
HAM(S) is a partner of the ruling NDA in the state. Manjhi’s son Santosh Kumar Manjhi is a minister in the Nitish government.
Manjhi’s sudden love for Shahabuddin, who was facing trial in over three dozen criminal cases, assumed significance in the wake of drubbings of the BJP in the West Bengal assembly election, the results of which were announced on Sunday.
“Now every political party except the BJP will try to woo the minority community, who proved a stumbling block in the victory of the saffron party in West Bengal, which has 27% muslim population,” a political observer, Pramod Kumar, said.
Manjhi’s reaction came a day after AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Tihar jail authorities of slackness, which resulted in the death of Shahabuddin. AIMIM has five MLAs in the 243-member Bihar assembly and they come from Muslim dominated Seemanchal region.
RJD MLA from Belaganj, Surendra Yadav, who is known for his muscle power, described Shahabuddin’s death as a ‘planned murder’. Shahabuddin’s son Osama had also alleged some foul play and demanded a postmortem of his father’s body. Shahabuddin’s wife Hena Sahab, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Siwan thrice, has also been tested positive for Covid.
Shahabuddin had served as MLA for two terms before being elected to the Lok Sabha from Siwan in 1996. He had served as Siwan MP for four consecutive terms. “No one in Siwan ever dared to go against him during the Lalu-Rabri era,” recalled a retired IPS officer, who had earlier served in Siwan.
Shahabuddin’s clout can be gauged from the fact flags of no political party were hoisted on the rooftop of the houses in Siwan town during elections. And those who dared to defy his diktats were eliminated by his henchmen. This exactly happened with former JNU Students’ Union president Chandrashekhar, who was killed at JP roundabout in Siwan while holding a protest against Shahabuddin’s tyranny in 1997.
However, his downfall started soon after his arrest in connection with the murder of two sons of a local businessman Chandrakeshwar Prasad alias Chanda Babu in 2004 allegedly for their failure to pay extortion money. The two brothers — Satish and Girish Roshan — were drenched in acid, leading to their death at Pratappur, the native village of Shahabuddin.
He was arrested in 2005 and subsequently lodged in Siwan jail. On June 6, 2014, Rajiv Roshan, the third son of Chanda Babu and a witness in the double murder case, was shot dead allegedly by Shahabuddin’s shooters. On December 9, 2015, a special judge at Siwan awarded life sentence to Shahabuddin and his three associates in the double murder case.
On August 30, 2018, the Patna high court upheld their conviction. On February 15, 2018, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of Shahabuddin from Siwan to Tihar jail on the plea of Asha Ranjan, the widow of Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, and Chanda Babu.
“Nobody had imagined that Shahabuddin, who virtually ruled over Siwan for almost two decades, will die in such a manner,” said a diehard supporter of the former MP.
Shahabu son’s tweet alarm bells for RJD:Former Siwan MP Md Shahabuddin’s son Osama Sahab’s tweet may create trouble for the main opposition RJD. Taking a dig at RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for not helping the family in bringing the body to Siwan for burial, Osama tweeted, “Agar hamare abbu (Dr) Mohd Shahabuddin saheb ki dead body Siwan nahi layi gayee to Tejashwi Yadav ki rajniti hamesa ke liye dafan ho jayegi (If my father’s body is not brought to Siwan for burial, Tejashwi’s political career will come to an end).” Tejashwi, however, said the body was not being brought to Siwan due to Covid protocol. He claimed that Delhi's commissioner has assured him to arrange for the burial of the body in the national capital.