Bihar polls: RJD candidate Sasaram arrested after filing his candidature

RJD candidate Satendra Sah was arrested on Monday immediately after filing his nomination papers from Sasaram assembly seat in Bihar, officials said.

Officers of the police station concerned maintained that Sah was arrested by the Jharkhand police as a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was pending against him. His supporters had no idea how the situation was developing.

“As Sah arrived at the concerned circle officer’s office to file his nomination papers from Sasaram headquarters, Jharkhand Police officials arrived there to execute an NBW which was pending against him,” said a senior officer from Rohtas district on condition of anonymity.

“He was allowed to file his nomination papers… But soon after, he was arrested. We are not aware of the nature of the case in which NBW was initiated against him,” he said, adding that only the Jharkhand police could share more details.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, and the results are expected to be declared on November 14.

This was the third such incident in which contesting candidates from the INDIA bloc constituents were arrested after filing their nomination papers.

Before this, CPI(ML) Liberation candidates for Bhore and Darauli seats, Jitendra Paswan and Satyadeo Ram respectively, were arrested after filing their nomination papers.

The CPI(ML) Libération issued a statement condemning these arrests.

“We strongly condemn the politically motivated arrests of Comrade Jitendra Paswan and Comrade Satyadeo Ram… They were arrested right outside the nomination centers immediately after filing their papers. These arrests, on the basis of trumped-up and baseless charges, clearly reveal the fear and panic among the NDA leaders, who feel threatened by the growing assertiveness of the masses and the determination of the people to bring change in Bihar,” the party had said.

Unable to deal with the growing anger against its failed “two-engine” government, the BJP-JD(U) alliance is resorting to repression, intimidation and misuse of police and administrative machinery to silence democratic opposition and stifle the voice of the people, she said.