Six held after Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi’s convoy attacked; RJD denies it was involved

Sources say police are preparing to file FIR against 150 people

The Bihar police arrested six suspects and may prosecute 150 more people over an attack on Bihar’s deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi whose motorcade was stoned on Tuesday.

Four vehicles were damaged when a mob in Bihar’s Vaishali pelted stones on the convoy of deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. (HT file photo/Santosh)

The Rashtriya Janata Dal, the party chief minister Nitish Kumar dumped last month to realign with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, rejected allegations that its members were involved in the attack.

According to sources in police, the arrests were made between Tuesday evening and the early hours of Wednesday.

Modi was unhurt in the attack but four vehicles were reportedly damaged when they were hit near Chaksikandar in Vaishali district.

Minutes before Modi’s motorcade, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who represents Raghopur assembly constituency in Vaishali district, crossed the same stretch.

Modi alleged that his car was attacked by RJD supporters out of political vendetta. He said windowpanes of four vehicles of his convoy were damaged.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said the allegation was an attempt to defame his party. He blamed the police for failing to prevent the attack, especially when Tejashwi and Modi were taking the same route. He attributed the mob attack to public anger against government switch.

Tejashwi, who claimed he got to know about the attack from the media, said the RJD could “never indulge in such an act as it believes in Gandhian principles”.

Modi was on his way to Kalapahar village to attend the last rites for the mother of a former MLA Achutanand Singh.

Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who is also Hajipur MP, condemned the incident and demanded stern action against the attackers.

Bihar agriculture minister Prem Kumar, BJP MP Ashwini Kumar Chaubey and LJP’s Pashupati Paras also condemned the attack.