Mokama murder case: Tej Pratap slams state govt, says "failing to ensure safety"; Surajbhan Singh calls incident "unfortunate"

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 31 (ANI): Reacting to the recent Jan Suraaj supporter murder case in Mokama, political leaders in Bihar expressed sharp criticism and concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) chief Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday blamed the state government for "failing to ensure safety."
Speaking to reporters in Danapur, Tej Pratap Yadav said, "The present (state) government is asleep and the gathering here is to change the same government. Crime will spread till there is unemployment and if there is employment, people will stay busy. The government should have taken cognisance of this."
Meanwhile, commenting on the same incident, former MP Surajbhan Singh termed the incident "unfortunate for the nation," urging the Election Commission to act swiftly to maintain public trust.
"What can I say, this is unfortunate for the nation... The Election Commission is responsible for preventing such incidents, and they should take action on this... They should work on strengthening people's trust in them and prevent such incidents across the country... I don't know anything about this, I stay busy with Election Campaigns," the former MP said.
On the medical front, Dr Ajay Kumar, Senior Doctor at Sub-Divisional Hospital, Barh, who was part of the postmortem team, said the autopsy of the victim, Dularchand Yadav, was conducted by a three-member board.
"There are internal injuries... A bullet has hit the left ankle joint... The death did not occur due to the bullet," he confirmed.
The incident has sparked political reactions across Bihar, with opposition parties demanding accountability and stronger law enforcement measures to prevent such crimes from recurring, as the state Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14.
Meanwhile, Independent MP from Purnea, Pappu Yadav, on Friday condemned the recent violence in Mokama that claimed the life of a Jan Suraaj supporter, Dularchand Yadav, alleging that political candidates are being increasingly targeted during the ongoing Bihar election campaign and accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies of promoting criminal elements in politics.
The Purnea MP criticised the BJP government on the rising violence across states, asking if this is not a big goon state, then what is it?
Speaking to ANI on the incident, Yadav said, "Candidates are being attacked continuously. "You have attacked the candidates from outside. If this is not a big goon state, then what is it? Why is the same terror named in every incident? Why are criminals given a ticket? Will the party not work without mafias?"
He further claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners have allotted "60 per cent of their tickets to criminals," while asserting that the Congress has refrained from fielding candidates with criminal backgrounds or family connections.
"There are no tickets to mafias or family members in Congress. BJP and its allies have given 60 per cent of the tickets to criminals," Yadav said.
Furthermore, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday sought a detailed report from the Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) regarding the murder of Dularchand Yadav in Mokama.
Dularchand Yadav was killed during firing between the two sides while campaigning for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections in Mokama yesterday.
Mokama is infamous for being a stronghold of influential and often controversial "strongmen" or "bahubalis" in Bihar politics, most notably Anant Kumar Singh, his brother Dilip Singh and Surajbhan Singh.
Mokama is now once again in the limelight after the murder of Dularchand Yadav, as the vote battle may be influenced because of the incident. This year, the electoral battle in Mokama Assembly constituency in Patna district, Bihar, is centred around two Bahubalis - Anant Singh and Surajbhan Singh, who dominate the region's political narrative.
Mokama, which will vote in the first phase on November 6, is once again set to witness a high-voltage electoral contest in the 2025 polls, as Janata Dal (United) has fielded strongman Anant Singh, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal has nominated Veena Devi, wife of former MP and influential leader Surajbhan Singh.
Both candidates come from the Bhumihaar community, setting the stage for a direct clash of political legacies in one of Bihar's most volatile yet politically significant constituencies. (ANI)