Hit and run: VIP kids leave the rest to dad

‘‘He says his son has gone to meet relatives every time the police goes there,’’ says a police official. ‘‘His political connections make it more difficult,’’ says Madhepura Superintendent of Police, Amrit Raj, adding, ‘‘that because he has so many places to hide’’.

Babloo’s is not a lone case. He is among the new generation of wannabe politicians (he was contesting the council polls) who break the law with impunity and learn the tricks of the trade from a criminalised political system. For them a rap sheet is just part of growing up.

‘‘It’s true they are arrogant, but this is not Bihar specific. Look at Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son or D.P. Yadav’s son. This trend is all over the place,’’ says RJD Minister Shivanand Tiwari, a second generation politician.

In Bihar, the unofficial number of politicians whose sons or kin have criminal cases or warrants out for them is over 100, according to police officials. The sons lord it out under their father’s political clout, with most of them remaining above the law with the cops either unwilling to act or unable to act.

Since 1999, an arrest warrant has been out for Sarfaraz Alam, an RJD MLA and son of RJD minister Taslimuddin. But till date, no action has been taken against him. The local police at Katihar say that he is absconding but the MLA moves freely in Patna.

He is accused of beating up a rail superintendent in one case, while in another case, filed in 1996, he is accused of roughing up another railway official. The case has been transferred to the CID.

‘‘They were supposed to submit regular progress reports but even that was stopped,’’ said a police official closely associated with the case. ‘‘Normally if a minister or his son is involved they try to hush it up. Because of the political clout the police doesn’t take any action,’’ BJP spokesperson Kiran Ghai said.

There are other instances of minister’s sons getting getting into trouble. Urban Development Minister Sri Narayan Yadav’s sons are facing criminal charges and were candidates in the last Assembly polls.

In another case the son is behind bars while the father, a Congress MP, is absconding. Sanjay Singh, a minister and son of Congress MP Rajo Singh, was the main accused in the killing of nine RJD workers. Sanjay is behind bars while his father is absconding.

Rajo Singh, though sighted at various places, hasn’t been arrested.