New Delhi: The Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday came under fire from the opposition BJP when its ministers were caught on camera dining with former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammed Shahabuddin in a Siwan jail.
The criminal-turned-politician is serving a life term in connection with a murder case.
RJD Minister Abdul Ghafoor along with another party MLA met the convict on March 6. A photograph of the three dining together comfortably has been doing the rounds of internet and has sparked off a controversy.
After getting hold of the photograph, BJP has slammed the Bihar state government accusing it of functioning with criminals from inside the prison. “The state government is run by criminals like Shahabuddin from jails. The photo proves it all,” said Mangal Pandey, Bihar BJP chief.
Defending himself over the entire row, Abdul Ghafoor said, “Circuit house is next to prison and he has been our party's MP. So I paid him a courtesy visit.”
Shahabuddin was awarded life imprisonment by a special Siwan court for his role in the infamous 2004 acid murder case.
The case, in which two brothers, sons of a Siwan businessman, were drenched in acid, was termed the ‘rarest of rare' by the court.
