Purnea MP arrested in 31-year-old case, sent to two-day judicial custody

Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Member of Parliament from Purnea in Bihar, was arrested late on Friday night from his residence after a warrant was issued against him in a 31-year-old case. He had arrived in Patna late Friday evening after attending Parliament. The arrest triggered a political war of words, with senior Congress leaders in New Delhi criticising the police action and ruling NDA leaders in Bihar asking for the law to take its own course. The MP has recently been protesting in support of the family of a medical aspirant from Jehanabad district, whose alleged rape and death at a hostel in Patna sparked Statewide protests. The Bihar government has since handed over the case to the CBI.

Mr. Yadav was sent to two-day judicial custody by a court in Patna on Saturday. His lawyer Ajit Kumar said the bail plea will be heard on Monday and till then, he will be kept at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where Mr. Yadav had checked in earlier in the day for treatment.

A six-time MP who won the last Lok Sabha poll in 2024 as an Independent, Mr. Yadav was arrested for repeated non-appearance in a 1995 case registered at Gardanibagh police station. An MP-MLA court had issued a warrant against him under Section 467 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code and cancelled his bail in July last year.

Mr. Yadav was initially taken to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna for a health check-up after his arrest, but later shifted to PMCH. A senior police officer who did not want to be named said he would be produced before a competent court after the medical reports are received.

PMCH Superintendent Rajiv Kumar Singh told mediapersons that several tests are being conducted on Mr. Yadav. “Only after the results come can I comment on his health condition. At present, it is not critical,” he said.

Both Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the late-night arrest. “From Hathras and Unnao to Ankita Bhandari and Patna – wherever atrocities against women occur, BJP governments stand with the accused instead of delivering justice to victims. The arrest of Pappu Yadav is yet another link in this chain of insensitivity. The agenda of the BJP and their allies is clear – they stand with injustice and oppression,” Ms. Vadra said.

However, NDA leaders in Bihar said that the police action should not be politicised. “There should be rule of law. It is the government’s resolve that no one should be treated unfairly,” said Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha. Another Minister, Shrawan Kumar said, no one is above the law and the police are doing their work.