Journalist’s killing: Shahabuddin shifted from Siwan to Bhagalpur jail

Patna, May 19 (IANS) A day after his prison cell was searched by police in connection with the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Bihar, RJD's former parliament member Mohammad Shahabuddin was shifted from Siwan to Bhagalpur jail, officials said on Thursday.

Shahabuddin has been shifted from Siwan district jail to Bhagalpur Central Jail, Inspector General (Prisons) Anand Kishore said.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have alleged that Shahabuddin had been pulling strings while being jailed in Siwan and had played a role in the killing of Rajdeo Ranjan.

The BJP leaders also demanded that Shahabuddin be shifted from Siwan jail to some other place.

Bihar Police on Wednesday raided the Siwan jail and were reported to have searched Shahabuddin's cell in connection with the journalist's killing.

A criminal-turned-politician, Shahabuddin has been lodged in Siwan jail for over a decade. He has only twice been shifted to Bhagalpur and Gaya jails for brief periods.

Police have already arrested Upender Singh, an aide of Shahabuddin, and are likely to take him on remand to quiz him in connection with Rajdeo Ranjan's killing. Singh is known as a sharpshooter of Shahabuddin.

Singh was sent to jail on charges of violation of the new Excise Act.

Police in Siwan said that Ranjan's killing was part of a pre-planned conspiracy.

Bihar Director General of Police P.K. Thakur said that police have identified the shooters involved in the killing of the journalist.

Five police teams have been set up to investigate the case. "Each team has been working on a different angle," he said.

The state government has also constituted a Special Investigation Team of two DSPs, three inspectors and five sub-inspectors to trace the killers.

The Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar has already recommended a CBI probe into the journalist's killing.

Ranjan, Siwan bureau chief of Hindi newspaper Hindustan, which is part of the HT Media, was shot dead last Friday in a busy market near Station Road in the district.