PATNA: A woman social worker who was awarded by President Ram Nath Kovind two years ago is wanted by Bihar police for allegedly masterminding the brutal murder of an RJD leader, whose headless body was found in Nalanda district earlier this week.
Dr Suman Saurabh, secretary of the NGO Bihar Seva Sansthan in Nawada, had allegedly hired a contract killer to eliminate RJD leader Kailash Paswan due to a prolonged property dispute she had with him. Dr Gupta was awarded by the President on March 8, 2016 (International Women’s Day) at a function in New Delhi for her contributions to agricultural research and social work.
According to police, she had offered Rs 1 lakh and one kattha of land to the contract killer, Chhotu Gupta, for the job. Gupta was arrested along with three other men who had helped him kill Paswan.
“This was a supari killing, and the murder was neatly planned and executed. The main accused, Chhotu Gupta, has confessed to have been offered the contract by Dr Suman Saurabh to kill Paswan,” said Nawada SP S Hari Prasad.
Police in Nawada and Nalanda districts are conducting raids to arrest Dr Saurabh, he added.
Paswan, who was RJD’s Nawada district secretary, had gone missing on July 6. His headless body was found near Paimar river-bridge under Khudaganj police station in Nalanda district on July 8. His severed head was recovered at Gotrayan village under Nadirganj police station of Nawada district two days later.
“Chhotu Gupta abducted Paswan with the help of three other men and beheaded him. After dumping the torso and the head at separate places, he left for Bokaro in Jharkhand, from where he was arrested,” added the SP.
Dr Saurabh is a PhD in agricultural sciences from Aligarh Muslim University. After completing her studies, she returned to her home in Nawada district and became a social worker. Apart from sharing information about good agricultural practices with the locals, she waged a battle against social evils.
In 1980, when Dr Saurabh was a little girl, her father Kameshwor Singh was jailed on charge of killing a man named Chando Singh in Nawada, said sources. Kameshwor Singh was sentenced to death by the trial court, but the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence to life term.