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Bihar MLA's husband shot dead

Bhutan Singh, husband of Samata Party legislator Lesie Singh, was shot dead in the Purnea district court premises early today (0820 IST).

Singh, who was also the Samata Party's Purnea district president, was emerging from the court when some men drove up in a jeep and shot him. Singh had been produced in court by the police in connection with a number of serious cases pending against him.

Violence broke out immediately after the incident and Samata Party activists torched some vehicles parked in the court campus, including the chief judicial magistrate's car.

According to reports reaching Patna, all shops in downtown Purnea were closed. In the ensuing violence, two more persons received injuries.

It is not yet clear who is involved in the murder. Purnea residents said Singh had several enemies, both political and non-political. He had fought the 1995 assembly election on the Bihar People's Party ticket. This year, he had put his wife Lesie up instead.

Bhutan Singh, whose original name was Madhusudan Singh, also had a running battle with Pappu Yadav, independent member of Palriament from Purnea.

Samata Party leader and former chief minister Nitish Kumar sought the immediate dismissal of the Rabri Devi government for its failure to safeguard the lives of the common people. He is scheduled to go to Purnea tomorrow.

The MLA from Purnea, Raj Kishore Kesri of the BJP, demanded the removal of Superintendent of Police Ramnandan Prasad.

Bhutan Singh is the fourth politician to be killed in the state in the last 10 days. While the first three were associated with the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal-led alliance, Singh is the first NDA politician to be killed in the post-assembly election violence.

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