Md Shahabuddin Sentenced to Life in 2004 Siwan Murder Case

Former RJD MP Md Shahabuddin has been sentenced to life in the 2004 Siwan abduction and murder case.

File photo of former Rashtriya Janata Dal strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin (centre) with his armed gunmen. (Photo: Vebidoo)

Former Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament Md Shahabuddin has been sentenced to life in the 2004 Siwan abduction and murder case.

On Wednesday, Md Shahabuddin and three other accused were held guilty by a special court in connection with the murder case of two brothers 11 years ago in Siwan district of Bihar.

Additional District Judge (ADJ) Ajay Kumar Srivastava passed the order pronouncing Shahabuddin, Rajkumar Sah, Sheikh Aslam and Arif Hussain guilty of charges under sections 302 (murder), 364A (kidnapping for ransom, etc), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

According to the prosecution, three sons of one Chandrashekhar Prasad were abducted from their house at Goshala road by Rajkumar Sah, Sheikh Aslam and Arif Hussain on August 16, 2004 and taken to Pratappur village where acid was poured on Girish and Satish resulting in their death. One of the sons, Rajeev Raushan, managed to escape. The bodies of the two brothers could not be recovered.

The victims’ mother Kalawati Devi had lodged an FIR charging Shahabuddin’s three henchmen with the murder of her sons. The former RJD MP’s name had cropped up during probe and he was made an accused for his involvement in the kidnapping of the three siblings.

The lone surviving brother appeared before the judge as an eyewitness in the case, but was subsequently murdered by unidentified assailants on June 16 last year. Shahabuddin has been in Siwan central jail for the past several years in connection with several cases against him.