Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday, 4 August launched a fierce attack on the state government in Patna, accusing it of shielding influential individuals and mishandling the police investigation into the murder of Vimal Kumari, Executive Officer of the Municipal Council in Dehri, Rohtas district. Addressing a press conference, Tejashwi questioned why the probe was narrowly focused on the victim's driver while the family's allegations against an NDA legislator remained uninvestigated.

Key Allegations Against the Investigation

Tejashwi alleged that the investigation was proceeding in the wrong direction, with police concentrating primarily on Vimal Kumari's driver despite the victim's family raising accusations against other individuals. He pointed out that the driver had reportedly changed his statements multiple times and questioned why the weapon allegedly used in the crime had not yet been recovered.

According to Tejashwi, the victim's family had specifically accused NDA/LJP-RV MLA Sonu Singh of involvement in the alleged conspiracy, with claims that money had been demanded. He questioned why police were not thoroughly pursuing this angle and also raised concerns about the alleged association between Inspector General Vikas Vaibhav and MLA Sonu Singh, citing their appearances together at public events.

Second Government Official Killed Under Current Administration

Tejashwi described the killing as the second incident involving the murder of a government official since Samrat Choudhary assumed office as Bihar Chief Minister. He characterised the killing of a serving municipal officer as “deeply disturbing”, adding that he had personally visited the bereaved family on Sunday to offer condolences.

“How can pressure related to official work justify someone’s murder?” Tejashwi asked at the press conference, warning that accepting such reasoning could set a dangerous precedent for the safety of government employees across the state.

Demands: Full Probe, Family Security, Government Job

The RJD leader demanded that investigators examine all possible angles rather than limiting the probe to the driver. He also demanded adequate security for Vimal Kumari's family and called on the state government to provide a government job to her wife. He further questioned why Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had not yet found time to meet the bereaved family despite attending various public programmes.

Tejashwi demanded the strictest possible punishment for those found responsible for the murder.

Political Broadside at Bihar CM

Widening his attack, Tejashwi described Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary as a “complete failure” and challenged the government to cite a single major achievement from Choudhary’s first 100 days in office. He accused the state administration of shielding influential individuals across multiple cases and questioned the Chief Minister’s priorities on law and order.

Reacting to the Bankipur Assembly by-election results, Tejashwi said the RJD respected the people’s mandate but argued that the outcome also reflected public resentment against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He claimed the BJP had been facing electoral setbacks in successive contests, while the RJD had secured a victory in the MLC election.

With the Dehri case now drawing state-level political attention, the pressure on Bihar Police to widen the scope of its investigation is set to intensify in the days ahead.