The judge who sentenced life imprisonment to gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin in a double murder case was transferred from Siwan just two days after the former RJD MP came out of Bhagalpur jail on bail in another murder case.
According to a Times of India report, additional districts and sessions judge (ADJ) Ajay Kumar Shrivastava had himself requested for transfer through a letter to the High Court.
While the exact content of the letter has not been revealed, the judge reportedly felt unsafe in the light of Shahabuddin’s release from the jail.
Following Shrivastava’s letter, the High Court transferred him to Patna in the same capacity and has also been provided security by the Nitish government.
Shrivastava had headed the special court constitute for the trial of cases against Shahabuddin and had sentenced the former MP to life imprisonment on December 11 last year for the murder of two brothers – Satish Raj and Girish Raj.
The two were drenched in acid at Shahabuddin’s village, Pratappur, in August 2004. Following the incident, the don-turned-politician was arrested in 2005 and was lodged in Siwan jail till May this year.
Rajeev Raushan, the elder brother of Satish and Girish, who was an eyewitness to the killings, was also hacked to death in June 2014, just few days before he was to appear before a trial court.
Shahbuddin has been granted bail by the Patna High Court in the Rajeev Raushan murder case.
“A sense of fear has gripped residents of Siwan ever since Shahabuddin reached home,” Times of India quoted JD(U) spokesman Ajay Alok as saying.
“We have provided security to at least 20 people since Shahabuddin's release,” said Siwan SP Saurabh Kumar Sah.
Meanwhile, the police has enhanced the security of the elderly parents of the murdered trio and the family of journalist Rajdev Ranjan, who was murdered in May this year and in whose killing Shahbuddin is a suspect.
