Scribe murder: Proclamation notice pasted at Shahabuddin aide's house

A proclamation and property attachment notice was on Monday pasted at the house of Laddan Mian, a close associate of jailed ex-Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, in connection with the murder of a journalist in Siwan earlier this month.

A team from the town police station pasted the notice issued by a district court at Mian's house in Ramnagar locality, Superintendent of Police Suarabh Kumar Sah said.

The permission to attach the property of Laddan Mian was granted by Chief Judicial Magistrate of Siwan, Arvind Kumar Singh on a police prayer.

The notice gave two days time to Laddan Mian to surrender before the police failing which his house would be attached, he said.

Rajdeo Ranjan, district bureau head of a leading vernacular newspaper, was on May 13 shot dead by unidentified men near a fruit market on the station road under town police station area of Siwan.

The Siwan Police had on May 25 arrested five persons in connection with the Ranjan's murder and recovered a country-made pistol used in the crime from Rohit Kumar, who the police claimed, has confessed to having shot the scribe.

During interrogation, it came to light that Mian, a history-sheeter who came out of Siwan jail in late April, had given contract for Ranjan's murder, the SP said.

They told police that Mian had given Rs 15,000 to Kumar for the murder and promised to help another accused in settlement of a land dispute at his in-laws' place, Sah said.

RJD strongman and four times MP from Siwan, Shahabuddin was shifted to Bhagalpur jail from Siwan after the incident.

With the murder of the journalist drawing countrywide criticism, the state government has recommended a CBI probe into the killing.