Former Bihar MP Pappu Yadav arrested, taken to Patna (Second Lead)

PATNA/NEW DELHI/GURGAON - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday arrested former Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav from a private hospital in Haryana’s Gurgaon town adjoining the national capital. He was later taken to Patna and sent to jail.

Yadav was arrested following an apex court order in May cancelling his bail, granted while he was serving life term for murdering Ajit Sarkar - a former legislator of Communist Party of India-Marxist, and directing him to surrender before a court in Patna.

Along with Yadav, Rajan Tiwari and Anil Kumar Yadav had also been given life terms by an additional sessions judge in Patna in February 2008. Four days later, Pappu Yadav was granted bail by the Patna High Court.

The CBI opposed his bail in the Supreme Court, which cancelled the bail in May and issued directions to arrest him. Since then, Pappu Yadav had been evading arrest on one ground or the other. A review petition was also filed by him before the apex court, which was dismissed May 5.

“He was admitted to Artemis Hospital in Gurgaon Saturday. The CBI team reached the hospital on Monday morning and after taking clearance from hospital (authorities) he was brought out of the hospital at around 3 p.m.,” a CBI source said.

“I wanted to surrender and informed the DIG (deputy inspector general of police), Bihar, about my presence in hospital. My operation was due on Monday,” Pappu Yadav told reporters while coming out from hospital.

“I will take court permission for the operation now,” he added. Yadav’s father is admitted in Sir Ganga Ram hospital in Delhi where he is reported to be critical.

Yadav was later brought before in a Gurgaon court which granted the CBI permission to present him before a court in Patna. He was flown to Patna from Delhi and sent to Beur Jail, Bihar’s Additional Director General of Police T.P.Thakur said.

Sarkar was killed May 14, 1998 while he was returning after addressing a meeting of the party workers in Purnea district in Bihar.

Bihar police registered a case against Pappu Yadav and four others and filed a chargesheet in the matter Aug 19, 1998.

The case was taken over by the CBI on the request of Bihar government.

Investigations disclosed that Yadav had political rivalry with Sarkar due to which he entered into a criminal conspiracy with co-accused Harish Choudhary, Rajan Tiwari, Amar Yadav and Anil Kumar Yadav to kill him.