JD-U MLA's son arrested in Bhagalpur for attempted murder

Patna, Dec 27 JD-U MLA Gopal Mandal's son, who faces cases of land grab and attempted murder, was arrested in Bihar's Bhagalpur on Tuesday in a joint operation by the local police and the STF, officials said.

ASP, Bhagalpur, Subham Arya said that accused Ashish Kumar Manadal, along with his three associates Dhananjay Singh, Dilip Singh, and Sanjiv Kumar, were involved in firing on December 12.

The accused went into Barari colony and opened fire on a group of people, leaving four, including a woman, injured. One of the victims Ravi Kumar sustained gunshot injury after a bullet brushed his face.

"We have received information that the accused was present at his restaurant called 'The Big Daddy'. Accordingly, a joint team was formed to raid the place and arrest the accused. We are making efforts to arrest others. The accused will be produced in the court and we will follow its instructions," Arya said.

"We have also issued a show cause notice to the SHO of Barari police station," he added.

After the firing incident, a warrant was issued from the court, but still the district police were not arresting the MLA's son, but things changed after new DGP R.S. Bhatti took over.

Mandal had opened a restaurant "The Big Daddy" on December 25 and also announced that he and his father are not afraid of any person. His video, challenging Bihar Police, went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, Gopal Mandal's wife Savita Mandal said that she is a prominent candidate for the mayoral post in Bhagalpur, and alleged the police of acting against her son "under political pressure applied by the opposition party".

Gopal Mandal's neighbour Rajesh Kumar Pandey said: "The local police came to my house and forcibly entered inside without any search warrant. What kind of police administration is this?"

The MLA from Gopalpur constituency in Bhagalpur is famous for his colourful activities and statements. In the beginning of this year, he came to notoriety for roaming in his undergarments in the Tejas Rajdhani Express and clashing with other passengers.