Supreme Court Convicts Two in 1998 Brij Bihari Prasad Murder Case, Sentences Them to Life Imprisonment

By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: One of the most notorious murder cases in Bihar and across India, the assassination of Brij Bihari Prasad in the 1990s, has resurfaced in the national conversation. Brij Bihari Prasad, a cabinet minister in Rabri Devi’s government, was gunned down in a brazen attack. Several prominent figures, including former LJP MP Suraj Bhan Singh, were implicated in the crime. However, the Patna High Court had acquitted eight individuals due to insufficient evidence. In a recent turn of events, the Supreme Court has overruled the High Court’s decision, finding Munna Shukla and Mantu Tiwari guilty and sentencing both to life imprisonment. This ruling has revived the public’s interest in the case.

In its verdict on the Brij Bihari Prasad murder case, the Supreme Court sentenced RJD leader Munna Shukla and co-accused Mantu Tiwari to life imprisonment, declaring both guilty. Meanwhile, the release of six others, including former MP Suraj Bhan Singh and Rajan Tiwari, who were previously acquitted, was upheld. The judgement came on Thursday, during a hearing of an appeal filed by the CBI.

The case, initially registered at Gardanibagh Police Station in Patna, dates back to 13 June 1998, when Brij Bihari Prasad was murdered on the campus of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna, despite heavy security. Among the accused was notorious Uttar Pradesh gangster Sriprakash Shukla. Prasad died in the attack.

Following her husband’s death, Brij Bihari Prasad’s wife, Rama Devi, became actively involved in politics. She contested and won the 1998 Lok Sabha elections on an RJD ticket, assuming the responsibilities of an MP in the 12th Lok Sabha. She later switched allegiance to the BJP, contesting and winning the 2009 election on a BJP ticket, and continued her electoral success in 2014 and 2019. Despite these political victories, Rama Devi never ceased her pursuit of justice for her husband’s murder. After the Patna High Court acquitted the accused in 2014, she approached the Supreme Court, which has now convicted two individuals, including Munna Shukla.

In response to the Supreme Court ruling, Rama Devi expressed her gratitude to the Indian government, particularly Home Minister Amit Shah, stating that after 26 years, justice had finally been served. However, she remarked that the decision had brought her no joy. “My home was destroyed. But the people made me an MP and brought me here,” she said, recalling the bodyguard who had laid down his life protecting her husband.

Munna Shukla, also known as Vijay Kumar Shukla, has long been a powerful figure in Bihar’s political landscape. During the 1990s, he rose to prominence, winning elections as an independent candidate from Lalganj, before contesting under the LJP and later the JD (U). When he was imprisoned on murder charges, Shukla’s wife contested and won the MLA seat from Lalganj on a JDU ticket. Munna Shukla himself contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections as an independent and later contested on a JD(U) ticket in 2009. Most recently, he contested as an RJD candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Vaishali.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *