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Action against Shahabuddin had Laloo's consent: Ojha

PATNA DEC. 23. Ousted former Director General of Bihar Police D P Ojha today claimed that the police action against controversial RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin had the consent of the party chief Laloo Prasad Yadav.

The police action of hunt for Shahabuddin in connection with old criminal cases, in which arrest warrants were pending against him, prior to his surrender before a Siwan court in August, was with the knowledge and consent of Mr. Yadav, Mr. Ojha told PTI.

He, however, denied having said that the police was instructed by Mr. Yadav to hunt out Shahabuddin. ``The police planned the action with which Laloo concurred as his relations with Shahabuddin had soured at that time.'' He claimed that the hue and cry raised by several RJD ministers and leaders following the police action was a ``stage managed show'' and not a spontaneous reaction and Mr. Yadav deliberately chose to stay away from the state on the day of Shahabuddin's surrender.

The former police chief claimed that after Shahabuddin was sent to judicial custody, the RJD president in a bid to patch up with the Siwan MP called on him in the jail and assured the incarcerated MP that after his (Ojha's) retirement the cases against him will be dropped and no further action would be taken against him.

``When Yadav told me about the compromise I refused to toe the line leading to bitterness in our relation,'' Mr. Ojha said.

He said he was consulting his lawyers to move Patna High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into cases in which Shahabuddin had been acquitted for want of witnesses ``who chickened out after receiving threats from the MP and his henchmen''.

``If CBI thinks that retrial in those cases is needed Shahabuddin should be retried,'' he said.

Mr. Ojha said he would also seek the court's directive for trial of the pending cases against the MP outside Siwan and apprise the court about the circumstances of his removal.

Asked if he would seek his reinstatement, the former police chief said, ``there is no question of it. I was to retire from service in February next year and I have taken voluntary retirement from December 7, a day after my removal.''

When asked about the show cause notice issued to him by the government for violating the service code by his fulminations against the politicians, the former DGP said ``I am least bothered about the notice. If I have to give any explanation I will give it to the Government of India or the court.''

``There is no point in replying to the notice when Laloo Yadav has publicly announced that I will have to forfeit my retirement benefits following initiation of departmental proceedings against me,'' he said. -- PTI

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