Gangster-turned-politician Dular Chand Yadav shot dead near Patna during election campaign

Patna: Dular Chand Yadav, a gangster-turned-politician once known for his proximity to Bihar’s political elite, was allegedly shot dead near the state capital on Thursday during an election campaign, police said.

The incident occurred in Mokama, part of Patna district but around 100 kilometres from the city. Yadav, who had recently aligned himself with Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, was reportedly caught in a violent clash with political rivals.

Patna (Rural) Superintendent of Police Vikram Sihag, who is overseeing the investigation at the scene, said, “We have learnt that Yadav had received a bullet injury in his foot but died after being run over by a vehicle. More details will be known once we take the body for post-mortem examination.”

Sihag added that Yadav’s family members were “not allowing anyone to get close to the body, saying they are waiting for his son to arrive”.

According to a statement from the Patna district administration, the body of Dular Chand Yadav, who had been “named in a number of criminal cases”, will be sent for a post-mortem to determine the precise cause of death.

“A search is underway to nab those who may be involved in the killing,” the statement read.

Yadav’s nephew, Piyush Priyadarshi, is contesting the Mokama seat on a Jan Suraaj Party ticket. The deceased leader was said to have had a confrontation with supporters of Anant Singh, husband of sitting MLA Neelam Devi. Singh, who has since been acquitted in several cases by the Patna High Court, has replaced Devi as the JD(U) candidate.

Crowds of Yadav’s supporters — many recalling his fearsome reputation in Mokama’s wetlands a few decades ago — gathered at the site following the killing.

When questioned by reporters, Anant Singh said, “I was far away from the spot where Dular Chand Yadav brawled with my supporters. I do not know what exactly happened, but some of my people have complained that Yadav’s henchmen vandalised their vehicles.”

Upon being informed of Yadav’s death, Singh sought to deflect blame, alleging: “It must be the handiwork of Suraj Bhan. He orchestrated the killing so that I get a bad name.”

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor said, “A team of our party has gone to the spot. As soon as we get some details, we will tell you.”

The party’s national president, Uday Singh, told journalists, “Our candidate in Mokama is a nephew of late Dular Chand Yadav. When a cavalcade of our candidate was attacked by supporters of Anant Singh, Yadav, who was a well-known political leader of the area, tried to intervene, but was shot dead.”

He further alleged that the assailants “crushed Yadav under the wheels of their car” and accused the police of attempting to “hush up the case”. “Any such attempt will provoke our cadres across the state,” he warned.

Jan Suraaj Party’s state president, Manoj Bharti, blamed the violence on “those who seek votes by instilling fear of jungle raj”.

“This is an assault on our democratic rights. We strongly condemn the attack on the convoy of our Mokama assembly poll candidate Priyadarshi Piyush and the killing of one of his supporters,” Bharti said.

He added that all candidates had the right to campaign freely and that “attacking them during poll campaigns, firing bullets to show dominance, and running a vehicle over a supporter to kill them is a heinous crime.”

Party media in-charge Obaidur Rahman said an eyewitness reported that the attack took place around 4 pm.

Yadav, whose influence once dominated Mokama’s political and criminal landscape, maintained ties with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), though he himself never managed to win an election.

The killing has rekindled fears of caste-linked electoral violence in Bihar, a state long scarred by politically motivated bloodshed.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma said: “A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area and appropriate action will be taken after due investigation.”

INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, criticised the government’s handling of law and order, saying: “Gun-toting musclemen are roaming freely in Bihar. It is a serious question mark on law and order in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should stop talking about things that happened 20 years ago and tell us what type of rule has the NDA brought.”

PTI