Bihar Police has registered an FIR against RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, his associate Shashwat Gautam and several others following a protest against a proposed water park project in East Champaran’s Pipra Kothi, where the opposition leader alleges that land worth nearly Rs 700 crore is being “snatched away” without compensation.
The FIR, lodged on a complaint by a construction agency associated with the project, accused Singh of obstructing public work. He has also been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly assaulting workers and attempting to snatch Rs 35,000 that was purportedly meant to be distributed among labourers.
Besides Singh, 27 persons have been named in the FIR, while 30 others remain unidentified.
At the heart of the controversy is a 17.3-acre parcel of land in Pipra Kothi identified for the construction of a water park. Singh and his supporters recently ploughed the site in protest, claiming the land’s market value is close to Rs 700 crore and that farmers are being deprived of both ownership rights and compensation.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday, 7 July, Singh described the FIR as politically motivated and said he would approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, contending that the case amounted to a breach of parliamentary privilege as it was filed against a sitting MP for taking part in a farmers’ protest.
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