Ex-MP couple among seven guilty for District Magistrate’s murder

The ruling party MLA who has been convicted is Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla. The others convicted are Akhlaq Ahmed, who is a former MLA, Shashi Shekhar and Arun Kumar Sinha, who have been active in politics, and Harendra Kumar, who had contested the recent Assembly election on the JD(U) ticket.

Krishnaiah was killed by a mob led by former MP Anand Mohan and the other politicians on December 5, 1994, near Khabra, Muzaffarpur district. The mob was accompanying a funeral procession of Choton Shukla, a leader of the Bihar People’s Party (BPP), who was allegedly killed by a gang opposed to him.

Krishnaiah was returning to Gopalgunj after attending a meeting in Hajipur when the people in procession caught him and assaulted him. He was then shot dead.

Anand Mohan and the others were accused of inciting the mob to kill the district magistrate. The FIR was lodged by then Sadar DySP Mohan Rajak, who was an eyewitness to the murder.

Additional District & Sessions Judge Ram Krishna Rai convicted the seven accused of murder, attempt to murder, and rioting, among other charges. He also convicted Anand Mohan and his wife of abetment of murder.

All the politicians convicted are known to use muscle. Anand Mohan at one point had a substantial following among members of his Rajput caste. He faces a number of criminal cases.

JD(U) MLA from Lalganj, Munna Shukla, too faces criminal cases and is prime accused in the murder of former CPM leader Ajit Sarkar and RJD minister Brij Bihari Prasad. Earlier, he had won as an independent, joined Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, and then joined JD(U).

All seven were taken into custody after the judgment was pronounced. They said they would appeal the verdict.