The Election Commission has directed the Bihar administration to immediately re-arrest Vijay Prakash, the Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate for Jamui constituency and younger brother of Union Minister Jaiprakash Narain Yadav, who had been 'illegally' released on bail.
Yadav was released following his arrest on October 18 while moving around with firearms, huge stacks of cash and liquor bottles during the poll.
"The Election Commission has ordered immediate re-arrest of RJD candidate and Jamui Police Superintendent Arvind Kumar has been asked to take necessary action," Director General of Police Ashish Ranjan Sinha told PTI.
Kumar is learnt to have left for Kharagpur in adjoining Munger district, the native place of Vijay Prakash, from where his mother Shanti Devi is contesting the election on RJD ticket.
Sinha said the Commission had taken serious note of the release of the RJD candidate on personal bond by the officer incharge of Khaira police station in Jamui district, though he was booked under non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act.
Inspector General of Police (Bhagalpur), N C Dhondiyal, was removed on Wednesday by the orders of the EC for having allegedly facilitated the candidate's release.
Jamui SP Arvind Kumar had suspended the officer in-charge Mukteshwar Prasad for releasing the RJD candidate barely hours after he was arrested.
EC special adviser K J Rao, during his visit to Jamui on Wednesday, had ordered registration of an FIR against the officer in-charge.
Prakash was arrested for moving around with a rifle, Rs 6.68 lakh in cash and 50 bottles of liquor. The cash and liquor was meant for distribution among the voters, the SP said.