CBI to probe Bihar MLA’s killing

"Whosoever was involved in the dastardly act will not be spared," she said, adding steps are also being taken to provide adequate security to people’s representatives in the State.

She announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs ten lakh to the dependents of the slain MLA and a life-size statue of the slain MLA would be set up at Nirsa soon.

Chatterjee, who had been elected from Nirsa five times, is suspected to have been gunned down by the coal mafia when he was moving around on a motorbike in Deoli village in Dhanbad district on Friday. The incident occured just four days after the brutal shooting down of former Congress MP Vijay Singh Soye at Chakradharpur.

Earlier, Rabri Devi held a high-level meeting of top state officials, including Chief secretary S N Biswas, Home Commissioner U N Panjiar and Director General of Police K A Jacob to review the law and order situation in the State.

Jacob said a SIT led by Motihari DSP, M A Baig has been constituted to apprehend the killers immediately. An FIR has been registered at Govindpur police station in Dhanbad in which two persons were named accused, he said. The officer in-charge of Govindpur police station has been shifted and punitive action would be taken against policemen if any lapse was found on their part in providing security to Chatterjee, Jacob said.

Two senior Bihar ministers Shivanand Tiwari and Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav accompanied by top state officials, including the DGP and Home Secretary, have air-dashed to Nirsa for an on-the-spot study of the situation and pay respects to Chatterjee on behalf of the Chief Minister.

Angry supporters, who had earlier refused to allow removal of Chatterjee’s body had blocked the Grand Trunk Road between Dhanbad and Nirsa for several hours on Friday night. Later, they allowed his cremation after being assured by the state government that the killers won’t be spared.

The NDA charged the Rabri Devi ministry with failing to protect the lives of public representatives and called for immediate steps to provide adequate security to parliamentarians and legislators in Bihar.

Reacting to Friday’s killing, former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Opposition leader in the State Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi, said in press statement that the state government had miserably failed to discharge its constitutional duty to protect the lives of even an MLA.

They criticised the Congress for providing support to the ‘ineffective’ Rabri Devi ministry. "Congress has become blind in its sheer lust for power. The party which during its agreement with the ruling RJD for sharing power promised to accord priority to a corruption-free administration and better law and order, is still continuing its support to such a government in Bihar," they said.

State committee of the CPI too strongly condemned the killing and urged the CM to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the law and order situation. The party also demanded a high-level probe into the incident.