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Ex-RJD MP Shahabuddin’s ‘royal’ Delhi trip under scanner for ‘sahib’ treatment
Convicted in several cases, Shahabuddin was found moving without handcuffs both at the Naugachia railway station and the Delhi railway station. He was also found moving in an air-conditioned car.
Incarcerated former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin’s visit to AIIMS, New Delhi, for treatment of his spinal problem has gone viral on social media and TV channels and has become a talking point even among police officers.
And it is not his ailment that is under scrutiny. It is the ‘deferential’ manner in which he was treated while being taken to Delhi and allowed to move freely that has gone viral on the social media.
Convicted in several cases, Shahabuddin was found moving without handcuffs both at the Naugachia railway station and the Delhi railway station. He was also found moving in an air-conditioned car.
The matter has raised eyebrows, as Shahabuddin, at present, is neither an MLA nor an MP. By contrast, RJD MLA Rajballabh Yadav was handcuffed when he surrendered in the court after being accused of raping a minor.
“Had it been someone else, the scene would have been different. The police seem to be protecting the man, not taking him from judicial custody to court or hospital. He still seems to be a ‘sahib’ (as he is popularly known in Siwan) for the police,” said a senior police officer.
He was reacting to pictures showing Shahabuddin walking around in jeans and T-shirt, with cops following him with luggage.
Another officer cited this as an example of change in fortunes of the convicted ex-MP. “A lot of water seems to have flown down the Ganga. The man who was once down and out in prison seems to be calling the shots, now,” he said.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday demanded that the report of the medical board, on the basis of which Shahabuddin was referred to AIIMS, should be made public.
“For 10 years, when the government was not to his liking, he did not feel the pain. Suddenly, now he developed pain and the medical board also seemed to have given a report to his requirement. AIIMS did not find anything wrong with his health,” he added.
Modi said that the report of the medical board had been tailor-made under government pressure, as Shahabuddin is in RJD. “He is allowed all the comforts and it cannot happen without government instructions. There are many trains for Delhi from Bhagalpur, but he was taken there by Rajdhani Express. Even in the Rajdeo murder case, the police have not questioned him so far,” he added.
