Notorious 'Khan Brothers' of Siwan join Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV), eye Bihar assembly elections

On Wednesday, the Khan brothers, along with their supporters, took membership of LJP (RV) in the presence of party chief Chirag Paswan.
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan.
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan.FILE | ANI
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PATNA: Crime and politics often go hand in hand, and this is exactly what happened when Ayub Khan and Rayees Khan, better known as the 'Khan brothers', formally joined the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, in Bihar's Siwan district late on Wednesday.

Ayub Khan and Rayees Khan, whose names once spelt terror across Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, had initially tried to join Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), but sources claimed that Nitish did not give his approval for their induction into the party.

On Wednesday, the Khan brothers, along with their supporters, took membership of LJP (RV) in the presence of party chief Chirag Paswan. The Khan brothers had arranged a chopper for the party supremo for the 'Milan Samaroh' held at Sahuli High School Ground in Siwan.

LJP (RV) on 'X' said, "Ayub Khan and Rayees Khan, along with their supporters, joined the party after being inspired by Chirag Paswan's able leadership and his 'Bihar First, Bihari First' vision. This is a significant step towards commitment to the party's principles."

Rayees Khan, the younger brother of Ayub Khan, has allegedly been involved in at least 30 cases of murder, kidnapping, dacoity, and extortion across three states. The Bihar government had announced a reward for his arrest after his name appeared in the kidnapping and murder of three youths from Siwan in 2022. In addition, he was also accused of being involved in the killing of two police personnel—B K Yadav and Ganesh Prasad Yadav—in Siwan district.

"Rayees Khan's name appeared on the list of the 10 most-wanted criminals of Siwan," recalled a senior IPS officer who previously served as the SP of Siwan. In 2022, Rayees Khan unsuccessfully contested local body elections from Siwan. During the election campaign, his election vehicle was allegedly attacked by political opponents. Rayees had then accused former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin's son Osama and his supporters of orchestrating the attack. Osama, along with eight others, were named as accused in the FIR lodged with the Siwan police.

In the FIR, Rayees Khan alleged that bullets were fired at his vehicle with an AK-47 assault rifle with the intent to eliminate him. However, he luckily survived the attack.

The Khan brothers initially worked for Mohammad Shahabuddin's gang but parted ways after Shahabuddin's father, Mohammad Kamrul Haque, decided to contest the assembly elections in 2005. Sources said that Shahabuddin got angry over the Khan brothers' decision and distanced himself from them.

Rayees Khan was arrested from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, in 2006 after a warrant for his arrest was issued by a Siwan court. At least 30 cases of murder, loot, dacoity, kidnapping, and extortion were lodged against Rayees in different police stations of Siwan (Bihar) and Ballia (Uttar Pradesh).

Rayees recently announced that he would contest the assembly elections from Siwan. Sources close to the Khan brothers said that Rayees was lobbying for JD(U) and even held meetings with the party's working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and other senior leaders, but his efforts were in vain. He formally joined LJP (RV) in the presence of party supremo Chirag Paswan on January 15.

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