Bihar MLA Anant Singh booked under UAPA

Controversial Bihar independent MLA and strongman Anant Singh has been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after the seizure of a AK-47 rifle and grenade from his ancestral house, police said on Saturday.

Confirming this, Patna (Rural) superintendent of police Kantesh Kumar Mishra said that it could not be ruled out that the sophisticated weapon may have been used in ''some big incidents''.

The case is being probed and police will act as per the evidence that comes up during the investigation, he said to questions whether the MLA will be arrested.

''He (Anand Singh) has been booked under UAPA for the recovery of a sophisticated weapon AK-47 and grenade during a raid in his ancestral house on Friday,'' Mishra told PTI.

The police had raided the ancestral house of Singh, a multiple term MLA from Mokama at Ladma village in Barh sub-division following a tip-off and seized an AK-47 rifle, a magazine, live cartridges and two hand grenades, he told PTI.

The Parliament has recently passed an amendment to UAPA to give powers to the Centre to designate an individual as a terrorist and seize his properties.

Barh sub-divisional police officer Lipi Singh said ''We are moving ahead as per law and senior's instructions. We are completing paper work and will submit before the court all the evidences along with an FIR to pray for issuance of warrant against him (MLA).''

Singh, nicknamed 'Chhote Sarkaar' has a long criminal record and was recently summoned to the police headquarters in Patna for giving his voice sample in connection with a bid on the life of a Mokama-based contractor.

The MLA had reacted angrily to the raid at his ancestral house and alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched against him at the behest of JD(U) MP Lalan Singh.

''Weapons not belonging to me are being shown as having been recovered from my house. The house has also been badly vandalized during the raid,'' he said.

The police have debunked the allegations levelled by the MLA and said the raid was carried out in the presence of a magistrate in accordance with the law, as well as the caretaker of the house. Moreover, videography has been done of the entire exercise.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh is the JD(U) MP from Munger, the Lok Sabha constituency under which the Mokama assembly segment falls. He had defeated Singh's wife Neelam Devi who contested on a Congress ticket by a huge margin.

Singh was formerly known to be close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but fell out with him ahead of the 2015 assembly elections. It led to his exit from the JD(U) and retaining Mokama seat as an independent.

Thereafter, Singh, known for his strong-arm tactics, has been accusing JD(U) leaders of conspiring against him to get him framed in criminal cases.

Singh had made his political debut in 2005 on a JD(U) ticket when he wrested Mokama from another gangster-turned- politician Suraj Bhan Singh. The seat was earlier held by Anant Singhs elder brother Dilip Singh, who had served as a minister in the Rabri Devi government.