PATNA: The 21-year-old son of Bihar’s ruling JD(U) MLA Bima Bharti was found dead beside the railway tracks in front of a hospital in Patna on Friday, prompting the heart-broken MLA and her husband to claim it was a murder even as police began a probe.
The body of Deepak Kumar bore injury marks on the back of the head, waist and thighs. Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj said the youth had left his home with some friends on Thursday evening and his body was found lying beside the railway tracks in front of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH).
Two friends of Deepak Kumar, who had spent the evening with him, were detained by police for interrogation. The two youths, Mrityunjay and Abhishek, told journalists that Deepak had been upset for the past three months after breaking up with his girlfriend when she left for Chandigarh for higher studies. They, however, said Deepak did not appear like he was contemplating suicide.
“GRP and the city police are jointly probing all angles of the case. Forensic experts have examined the spot where the body was recovered. The autopsy report would throw light on the death,” said DIG Rajesh Kumar.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar paid a visit to the residence of Bima Bharti, who represents Rupauli constituency in the eastern Purnea district, after learning of the incident and consoled her. He also assured her of a fair and speedy probe.
While an inconsolable Bharti kept crying “my son was murdered,” her husband Awadhesh Mandal claimed his son was eliminated by people associated with his and Bharti’s political rivals from Purnea.
“This is not a suicide. People like Shankar Singh and Chandan Singh killed my son. I will soon file an FIR,” said Mandal, who came out of jail on bail recently. A notorious muscleman in Purnea, he was behind the bars in connection with a criminal case.
Bharti and Mandal have had a love-hate relationship punctuated by allegations of violence levelled by her against him in the past few years.
The Opposition RJD attacked the state’s NDA government over Deepak Kumar’s death. “When a ruling party MLA’s family is not safe, how can ordinary citizens expect safety even in the state capital?” asked Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.