After recovery of AK-47, Bihar MLA gives cops a slip

Don-turned-MLA Anant Singh, from whose residence the police recovered an AK-47 rifle, two hand grenades, live cartridges and magazines, has gone into hiding ever since the cops raided his house in the wee hours of Sunday.

Singh, the muscleman-turned-politician, is an Independent MLA from Mokama and has been booked under the newly passed legislation Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Arms Act and Explosives Act.

While the case is being investigated by ASP of Barh, Lipi Singh, the police have informed about the seizures of sophisticated weapon and grenades to National Investigation Agency (NIA), Special Task Force (STF) and Anti-terror Squad (ATS).

While the controversial legislator gave the cops a slip, the police arrested his accomplice Chotan Singh, who was wanted in an attempt-to-murder case. “The legislator’s caretaker at his ancestral house Sunil Ram was earlier arrested and sent to judicial custody on Saturday,” said Rural SP, KK Mishra.

WHO IS ANANT SINGH?

Anant began his political career as JD (U) MLA from Mokama in 2005. He has a long criminal record and is known as Chhote Sarkar (mini Government) in his stronghold of Mokama, Barh and Munger. He was re-elected as JD (U) MLA in 2010 but was denied ticket by Nitish in 2015. Nitish also got him arrested on the eve of Assembly polls. However, despite being behind bars, he contested the 2015 Assembly elections as an Independent and emerged triumphantly.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he fielded his wife Neelam Singh (as Congress nominee) against JD (U) candidate and Nitish’s trusted aide Lallan Singh from Munger. However, she lost in the Modi wave.

Hours before he gave the police a slip, Anant said on Saturday that he was being hounded and harassed by Lallan Singh and other senior ruling party leaders. “The Barh ASP, Lipi Singh, is acting against me as she is the daughter of JD (U) Rajya Sabha MP, RCP Singh. I will speak to Nitish on this issue,” said Anant, who once weighed Nitish Kumar with silver coins during 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Nitish was then contesting from Barh, a constituency now scrapped after delimitation. Nitish, however, lost from Barh in 2004. And never contested any Lok Sabha poll or Assembly polls again.