Bihar BJP Leader, 2 Others Charged In Murder Case

The Bihar police booked opposition BJP MLA Shyam Babu Yadav and two others for allegedly being involved in the murder of a former member of a Block Development Council (BDC) in East Champaran district of the state, an official said on Tuesday.

The FIR against the Pipra MLA and others has been registered based on a complaint filed by the wife of the dead identified as Jitendra Prasad, Superintendent of Police Kantesh Kumar Mishra told reporters.

Jitendra Prasad had gone missing on Sunday and his body was found in a pond near his village the next day.

Denying the charge, the legislator claimed it is a political conspiracy against him.

"The district police registered a case against Shyam Babu Yadav and two others in connection with the murder case of Jitendra Prasad. A special investigation team has been constituted to probe into the case. Forensic experts and dog squads have also been engaged in the investigation," said the SP.

Jitendra Prasad was a former member of the BDC of Mahuawa panchayat in the district. Among other works, a BDC undertakes measures for effective supervision and monitoring of various developmental programmes in a block.

The police are also examining a video provided by the dead's wife to the investigators, the police officer added.

Another police official said the video was purportedly shot a day before Prasad went missing. In the video, he was heard claiming that the Pipra MLA might get him killed because of some differences related to a contract between them.

PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

When contacted, the BJP MLA rejected the allegation.

"This is a baseless allegation to malign my image. It is a political conspiracy against me. I came to know about the incident on Tuesday when I was attending the monsoon session of the assembly," Shyam Babu Yadav said.

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