MLA held for pouring petrol into youths' rectum

In a development being seen by many as an embarrassment to ruling JD (U), party MLA Ramsevak Singh (Look at his Crime Meter) was on Tuesday arrested along with his brother, three bodyguards and a driver for allegedly assaulting four youths and pouring petrol into their rectum at Asmat Gola in Gopalganj district's Balesara village on Monday and Tuesday.

Police said the bodyguards of the MLA, who represents Gopalganj's Hathua constituency in the state assembly, assaulted Afroz and Tabrez who are relatives of a winner of the just-concluded panchayat election in the area. On Tuesday, the MLA's bodyguards allegedly took Vishal Singh and Rakesh Dubey to the MLA's house and mercilessly assaulted them, police said and added that the culprits later poured petrol into the rectum of the victims.

As tension prevailed in the village, Gopalganj DM Pankaj Kumar Pal and SP K S Anupam visited the victims. Pal told TOI Vishal and Rakesh were rescued by a police team led by Hathua SDPO Jitendra Kumar Mishra from the MLA's house. "The SP and I also met the Hathua MLA and heard his version," he said and added the medical report confirmed pouring of petrol into the rectum of victims following which an FIR was lodged against the MLA, his brother Ramashray Singh, three bodyguards and a driver.

Villagers said the wife of the MLA's brother contested the election for the post of Balesara mukhia, but lost. The DM admitted that though police were yet to probe the reason behind the crime, it prima facie appeared to be related with the panchayat election.

While the MLA could not be reached for his version as he was in custody, the JD (U) leadership in Patna did not defend its MLA. "Wrong-doers will not be protected even if they belong to our party," party's state president Vashishth Narayan Singh told TOI. He said his party-led NDA government has been working overnight to establish the rule of law and those taking law into their hands must be punished as per the law.