Bihar admin filed false FIR over farmers protest: RJD MP alleges 'breach of privilege'

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) RJD Buxar MP Sudhakar Singh on Tuesday alleged that the Bihar administration had implicated him and several others in a false case under serious charges after they participated in a farmers' protest in East Champaran, and said he would raise the "breach of privilege" issue with Speaker Om Birla. Addressing a press conference here, Singh said he had gone to Pipra Kothi in East Champaran district on July 3 to participate in a farmers' meeting protesting the Bihar government's alleged forcible acquisition of agricultural land for an artificial water park project. The MP said, however, an FIR was registered against him following the protest, accusing him, his associates and 24 others of offences including attempt to murder, robbery, obstructing government work and stealing construction material. "I went there to support the farmers, and symbolically tilled the land with a tractor... Without any evidence, they have accused me of attempt to murder, and pickpocketing," Singh said. He claimed the allegations, including an accusation that he pickpocketed Rs 35,000 from the complainant, were "false and fabricated" and intended to punish him for supporting protesting farmers. The RJD MP also said that he was detained for about an hour without a magistrate present, despite repeated requests, and alleged that the conduct of the district administration and police amounted to a breach of parliamentary privilege. The MP said he would write to and meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the matter. He asked why he was not arrested immediately if the alleged offences had actually taken place, citing a large police contingent, media personnel and members of the public were present throughout the protest. He also questioned why the complaint was filed by a private individual instead of a government official if an official work had indeed been obstructed. Talking about the area where the proposed water park is to come up, Singh said that the land at Mouza Piprakothi has been under the possession of farming families for nearly 95 years. He claimed the farmers' land records, originally created in 1931-32 and later transferred to the current landholders' families in 1961, were cancelled within three months to facilitate the project. He argued that the project was unnecessary as Motihari already has a 400-acre Moti Lake, while the Mahatma Gandhi Central University has allegedly remained without land for its permanent campus for nearly a decade. Singh also levelled allegations against BJP MP and former union minister Radha Mohan Singh, claiming he was acting in collusion with "land mafias" to facilitate the acquisition of farmers' land, and demanded a thorough investigation by the Centre and the Bihar government. PTI AO AMJ AMJ