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Dismissed Bihar minister still at large

Our Correspondent in Patna

A week after the rescue of a truck driver and cleaner from his house, dismissed Bihar minister Lalit Yadav is still at large.

Secretariat police station officer in-charge S S P Yadav said that he was neither in Patna nor his hometown Darbhanga.

He had led a team of policemen to the dismissed minister's official residence last Saturday and released driver Dinanath Baitha and cleaner Karu Ram.

He told rediff.com that the dismissed minister's police guards, Ayodhya Prasad and Kedarnath Rai, and his relatives had gone into hiding.

The police officer said that on Friday they had approached a special judge trying offences against Dalits to pray that the former minister be declared a proclaimed offender as he had neither been arrested nor had he surrendered, three days after an arrest warrant was issued.

As per the court order, notices will be pasted at the minister's official residence, courtroom and conspicuous places, asking him to surrender.

After a few days, the court will be approached to attach property of five accused in the case.

S S P Yadav said that he got news of the illegal confinement last Saturday, from a television channel reporter. He did not disclose the name or portfolio of the minister.

"I searched several places under my jurisdiction but drew a blank. When I rang back the reporter, he disclosed Lalit Yadav's name. Only then did we go to the minister's residence," he said.

The delay in the arrest is proving to be an embarrassment for the government. However, the Rashtriya Janata Dal claimed that it at least dismissed Lalit, expelled him from the party and launched a manhunt for him. "What is the response of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister when his ministerial colleague was charged with similar allegations of beating and illegally confining a truck driver?" asked RJD leader Kanchan Bala.

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