BHOPAL: Absconding in the March 2019 Congress leader Devendra Chaurasia murder case, BSP MLA Rambai Singh Parihar’s husband Govind Singh Parihar was finally arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force (MPSTF) in Bhind district on Sunday early morning.
Carrying a bounty of Rs 50,000 on arrest, Govind was arrested from the bus stand in Bhind district on Sunday morning.
The probe revealed that he was in Delhi prior to being arrested in Bhind and had also traveled to various places, including Rajasthan, Haridwar, Jammu, and Shimla before being held in Bhind, additional director general of police (ADG-STF) Vipin Maheshwari told The New Indian Express.
Importantly, just a few hours before Govind was held in the Bhind district, two videos went viral over social media.
In one of the videos, Govind is seen saying that it’s 5.30 am on March 27 and he is going to surrender before the police in a short while.
In the same video, he is also heard saying that he is surrendering following advice by his wife Rambai (the BSP MLA from Patharia seat of Damoh district). Govind is also heard saying in the same video that he is surrendering in Bhind via an MLA.
In the other video, Govind is seen boarding a car in which he is heard saying that he is on his way to surrender before the police at the bus stand in Bhind district.
Bhind is around 425 km from Govind’s home district Damoh. Also, the local BSP MLA from Bhind seat Sanjiv Singh Kushwah too is a BSP legislator, who has an old association with the ruling BJP.
As per informed sources, the local BSP MLA could have played a key role in Govind’s surrender and subsequent arrest on Sunday.
Importantly, Govind’s arrest comes just two days after Supreme Court’s double-judge bench had directed the DGP MP to take necessary steps to ensure that the same bench’s previous order (March 12) is complied with before the next date of listing (April 5), failing which the Court will be constrained to take coercive steps in accordance with the law.
The dramatic arrest of the BSP MLA’s husband within two days of SC’s directions also assumes significance due to the fact that by-elections to Damoh seat of Rambai is slated on April 17.