Bihar: Court sends controversial MLA Anant Singh to 2 days' police custody

Controversial Independent MLA Anant Singh, who was booked under the UAPA following the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, hand grenades and ammunition from his ancestral house, was remanded to two days' police custody by a court here on Thursday.

The order was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Kumar Madhavendra of the Barh sub-divisional court here on an application moved by police seeking the Mokama MLA's custody for interrogation.

Singh had surrendered before a Delhi court last week after dodging the Bihar Police for several days. He was brought here on Sunday on transit remand and lodged at the Beur Central Jail on the outskirts of the city.

A case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was lodged against the third-term MLA after arms, explosives and ammunition were recovered from his ancestral house during a police raid on August 16.

The MLA has claimed that his house had been unoccupied for some time and that the rifle and other things were kept there at the behest of leaders of the ruling Janata Dal (United) who were indulging in political vendetta.

Singh, nicknamed "Chhote Sarkar", has a long criminal record and was recently summoned to the police headquarters here for giving a voice sample in connection with an attack on a Mokama-based contractor.

The MLA is known to have shared a close relationship with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier but the two apparently fell out ahead of the 2015 state assembly elections.

Singh then left the JD(U). He contested as an independent and retained his seat.