Patna: After spending 11 years behind bars, former RJD parliamentarian Mohammad Shahabuddin was released from Bihar’s Bhagalpur jail on Saturday, September 10.
After the Patna High Court granted bail four days ago in a case related to the killing of a murder witness, he was finally released from prison. Thousands of Shahabuddin’s supporters had gathered outside the Bhagalpur jail in Bihar and a long entourage of SUVs reportedly escorted him back to his village Pratapur in Siwan.
Shahabuddin told media that it was wrong to describe him as a terror-monger and no one was afraid of him in Siwan.
Shahabuddin is facing 35 criminal cases including murder, extortion, kidnapping. He was only convicted in seven cases.
Celebrations erupted at his native village and other places organised by his supporters. Shahabuddin’s wife Hina Sahab told the media in Siwan that she had been waiting for his release for over a decade.
While he was behind the bars, she contested two Lok Sabha polls from Siwan but without success.
In May, Shahabuddin was shifted from Siwan district jail to Bhagalpur Central Jail after the murder of Hindustan newspaper’s journalist Rajdeo Ranjan. Ranjan, the Siwan bureau chief was shot dead in a busy market.
As he left prison, the four-term former MP from Siwan pledged allegiance to Lalu Yadav and took a swipe at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. “Nitish Kumar is a leader of circumstances, my leader is Lalu Yadav,” said Mr Shahabuddin in an assessment of their partnership. He is a member of the RJD’s national executive.
Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar came together for the Bihar assembly elections last year in a common need to defeat the BJP and posted a handsome win. Though Lalu Yadav’s party won more seats, Nitish Kumar became chief minister in keeping with a pre-election agreement.
