M A I N   N E W S

Bihar minister sacked, absconds

PATNA, July 10 (PTI, UNI) — Embarrassed by charges of torture of two Dalits by Minister of State for Cooperatives Lalit Yadav, Chief Minister Rabri Devi today promptly sacked him.

Governor V.C. Pande dismissed Mr Yadav, who has been absconding, at the advice of the Chief Minister, a Raj Bhavan spokesman said.

Mr Yadav has been charged with torturing and confining a truck driver Deenanath Baitha and cleaner Karu Ram in the outhouse of his official residence here for over a month.

A case was registered against Mr Yadav, his cousin and four others on Saturday under Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Act and several other sections of IPC after driver Baitha and Karoo Ram were rescued by the police from the minister’s residence.

Mr Yadav’s dismissal followed submission of a report by state’s Chief Secretary V.S. Dubey and Home Secretary U.N. Panjiar to the Chief Minister yesterday.

RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav has expelled Lalit Yadav, a second-term MLA from Manigachi in Darbhanga, from the primary membership of the party. “Such inhuman conduct cannot be tolerated....we will ensure the guilty is punished,” he told reporters.

In his complaint Baitha has said that during his confinement he was mercilessly beaten up by the minister and his henchmen, who pulled out his nails, and tortured him.

State’s Director-General of Police K.A. Jacob said efforts were on to arrest Mr Yadav.

The state was being scoured to arrest the sacked minister. Three persons have been taken into custody.

Mr Jacob hoped that the sacked minister would be taken into custody soon and said steps would be initiated to attach Mr Yadav’s property to force him to surrender.

Leader of the Opposition Sushil Modi accused during zero hour the government of not taking steps to arrest Mr Yadav and demanded a statement. Mr Modi said the driver should be immediately released in view of his daughter’s coming marriage.

Water Resources Minister Jagadand Singh said that Mr Yadav had been dismissed from the council of ministers and all necessary steps were being taken for his arrest.

Mr Jagdanand Singh said Rs 12,500 had been given to the victim under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Prevention Act. The remaining Rs 75,000 admissible under the Act would be released after the court’s direction, he added.

Samata Party member Bhagwan Singh said that it was unfortunate that the driver and cleaner were taken to the police station handcuffed and the police even tried to implicate them in a robbery case.

The matter was raised as soon as the House sat for the day’s business and the BJP-Samata Party members created scenes.