PATNA: Bihar’s don-turned-politician Anant Singh, who is now an independent MLA from Mokama and popularly called as ‘Chhote-Sarkar’ in the state, turned up at the state police’s Forensic Science Laboratory on Thursday to give his voice sample in connection with an investigation into a viral audiotape.
The audiotape in which a man is heard speaking and planning the murder of two people, Bhola Singh and his brother Vivek Singh of Barh, with a shooter has gone viral and it has been alleged that the voice in the tape is that of the Mokama MLA.
Singh was served a notice on Saturday evening asking him to appear at the FSL lab on August 1 at 11 am to give his voice sample for forensic test. The Patna police had made an elaborate security arrangement in and around the police HQ-based FSL where Singh reached in his SUV surrounded by his entourage at 11.45 am, late by 45 minutes.
According to police sources, the MLA had to speak the same lines, which were spoken in the viral audio tape. Singh read out the lines before the audio recording team of FSL in presence of the Pandarak police and a magistrate. The MLA is among eight others against whom an FIR has been lodged on the charge of
planning of murder.
After coming out from the FSL, the MLA told the media: “I am being implicated by the state government out of political vendetta. The viral audio is not mine but has been doctored to implicate me”. He further accused the Patna police of being hand in glove with Bhola Singh, who is himself a notorious criminal.
“Bhola Singh carries a cash reward of Rs 50000 on his head and roams freely armed with AK-56 rifle. Instead of apprehending him, police at the behest of a politician in power is targeting me”, Singh said.
On July 14, three shooters, allegedly sent to gun down two people namely Bhola Singha and his brother Vivek Singh, were arrested by police when they were being thrashed by a mob at Barh.
The name of MLA Anant Singh figured out during interrogation of the shooters, who confessed to the murder plan at the behest of Singh.
Meanwhile, senior police officials have said that the report of Singh’s voice test will come out within few days and further course of action will be taken accordingly.
Singh had been in JD-U till 2015 as MLA from Mokama but parted ways when he was sent to jail the same year in connection with a murder case. He first contested on a JD-U ticket in 2005 and held on to it till 2010. On September 2 in 2015, Singh quit the JD-U, protesting party leader Nitish Kumar’s decision to contest in alliance with RJD.