A lower court on Tuesday heard the anticipatory bail petition of Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto in connection with a case of rape and outraging the modesty of a woman lodged against the MLA by Dhanbad police on October 6, 2019, based on a former BJP woman worker’s accusations on November 23, 2018.
The court of additional district and sessions judge III Rajeev Kumar Sinha reserved the decision of Dhullu’s bail petition for the next hearing on March 7.
Dhullu’s lawyer Indrajit Sinha told the media that the prosecution and defence argued over Dhullu’s bail petition on Tuesday and the court reserved the order for March 7. Dhullu is on the run.
In another development, a fresh case under various sections of the IPC — rioting (Section 147), rioting armed with deadly weapon (Section 148), unlawful assembly (Section 149), wrongful restraint (Section 341), voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323), extortion by putting a person in fear of death (Section 386), intentional insult and provocation (Section 504) and criminal intimidation (Section 506) — was lodged on Monday at Barora police station in Baghmara by Rajiv Kumar Srivastava, nephew of former mines minister of the United Bihar era, Om Prakash Lal.
Rajiv charged Dhullu with illegal possession of land purchased by him (Rajiv) in Ledidumar of Baghmara in 2014. The former minister’s nephew said that when he went to inspect his land in July 2019 with his wife Nitu Rani and brother Amit Kumar, Baghmara MLA Dhullu along with one Subhash Singh and 10 others used filthy language at them and claimed that the land belonged to Dhullu.
Rajiv added that Dhullu threatened him with dire consequences and on his orders those with him attacked them (Rajiv’s group) and flashed a pistol.
Barora police started an investigation in the case after registering an FIR.
Dhanbad police are making raids in Dhanbad and the rest of the state to arrest Dhullu, SSP Kishore Kaushal said. “We are searching for him to arrest him based on whatever information we have. If he continues to evade arrest we will start the process of attaching his property following legal norms,” the SSP said.
