Former RJD MP Shahabuddin shifted to Tihar jail from Siwan
Shahabuddin is accused in the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan, which took place in May 2016.
Patna: Amid tight security, gangster-turned-poitician Mohammad Shahabuddin was shifted to New Delhi where he would be lodged in the Tihar central jail in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court.
The former RJD MP was escorted out of Beur central jail in Patna and was taken to Rajendra Nagar railway station where he boarded the Sampoorna Kranti express to Delhi.
According to sources, around 30 state police and special task force (STF) personnel were deployed in the sleeper coach to ensure the security of Shahabuddin.
Efforts were taken to keep the entire operation a secret while shifting him from Siwan to Tihar via Patna in order to avoid a repetition of the September 10, 2016, episode where his supporters had created a ruckus after he was released on bail from the Bhagalpur central jail.
The process to shift Shahabuddin from Siwan jail to Tihar jail began late Friday night with an STF team, along with top district administrators, monitoring the entire operation.
Sources said more than a dozen SUVs carrying his supporters were also detained near Nayagaon in Saran district early on Saturday morning while they were following the police van carrying Shahabuddin.
“Directives of the Supreme Court were strictly followed and no special treatment was given to Shahabuddin,” a senior police officer escorting him to the railway station said on Saturday.
Shahabuddin, locally known as Saheb or Bahubali, had been convicted in seven cases and has around 38 more cases pending against him.
Hearing the petition of Asha Ranjan, wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the shifting of Shahabuddin from Siwan to Tihar jail. Ms Ranjan, in her petition, had stated that with Shahabuddin lodged in a Bihar jail, a free and fair trial was not possible as his goons may influence witnesses. Shahabuddin is accused in the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan, which took place in May 2016.
Shahabuddin is also facing trial in connection with the murder of Rajiv Roshan, the third son of Siwan-based businessman Chandrakeshwar Prasad. Roshan was the only eyewitness in the acid bath case in which his two brothers were brutally killed.
Rajiv Roshan was murdered in June 2014, barely three days before he was to appear before the court to testify against Shahabuddin and his henchmen. A special court in 2015 had convicted Shahabuddin in the acid bath case.