Patna, Oct 23 (IANS) The fielding of don-turned-politician late Mohammad Shahabuddin in Assembly elections by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has evoked strong and angry reactions from the parties and people alike. As RJD continues to face backlash over fielding son of dreaded gangster, the son of Chandrakeshwar Prasad spoke to IANS and recalled the horrific killing of his brothers in in the infamous ‘Tejaab kand’ under Shahabuddin’s rule of terror.
Chandrakeshwar Prasad, popularly known as Chanda Babu, fought a 15-year-long court battle seeking justice for his sons but the family underwent a tragic tale as his third son was killed, days after appearance in the court.
Monu, speaking to IANS, shared the family’s ordeal while going through troubling times and also voiced his discontent over giving ticket to gangster’s son. He said that election tickets should be given to educated and qualified individuals who bring welfare and peace to society. Last week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also criticised RJD’s decision to field Shahabuddin’s son for the Bihar Assembly elections.
In an interview with IANS, Monu recalled the painful sequence of events and the manner in which both of brothers were killed in cold blood while the murderers made mockery of justice.
Here are excerpts of the interview:
IANS: Do you think it is right to give a ticket to Shahabuddin’s son, who has several criminal cases against him? The Home Minister has called this ‘Jungle Raj Part 2’. Do you agree?
Monu: We cannot directly say whether someone should or should not be given a ticket. However, I strongly believe that tickets should be given to educated and capable people who are genuinely concerned about public welfare.
The candidate’s background and intentions should be examined properly. Only good and responsible individuals should be allowed to contest elections. In the future, it should not happen that someone appears good before the election but changes completely after winning.
We need representatives who work for the welfare of everyone and who ensure peace in Siwan. What happened to my family should never happen to anyone else. That is all I wish for.
IANS: How did Shahabuddin kill your three brothers?
Monu: He and his men killed two of my three brothers by burning them with acid. After we failed to give extortion money of Rs 2 lakh to Shahabuddin, acid was thrown at my two brothers Girish Raj and Satish Raj, by the gangster’s men on August 16, 2004. The only witness to the incident was my third brother, Rajiv Raushan, who managed to flee the spot. 10 years later, Rajiv was also killed on August 16, 2014, two days before he was to appear in court as a witness.
IANS: How did you feel after all of this happened?
Monu: Honestly, I felt nothing at that moment. It was as if the entire family had been destroyed. After my brothers’ died, we were all shattered. During the incident in 2004, only four of us – my father, mother, sister, and I – survived. We managed to escape after an hour. After that, we fled wherever we could, living in constant fear.
For a long time, no one knew where my sister was, or where my father or brother had gone. After about a year and a half, maybe two years, we finally reunited with my father. He introduced us to some people he knew, and gradually, we settled down and started living together again.
IANS: Were you ever threatened after that?
Monu: Personally, I was never threatened. But my father received threats several times during that period. We don’t know exactly what was said to him, but he used to get calls, and some people would visit him, trying to influence him about the case. My father would often say, “Look at what we’ve already suffered – how can this be just a government matter?”
He was even offered money. But my father would reply, “What will we do with money when we’ve lost our children?” If someone loses their brothers or sons, then no amount of money matters.
IANS: What did your father have to endure while he was alive?
Monu: Our father was a true fighter. He had to take care of us and raise us despite unimaginable pain. Both our parents were deeply traumatised after losing two sons, and when the third one was also shot dead, it completely broke him. He often said, “Now we have no one left”. We were in no position to do anything – not then, not even now. Thinking about everything that happened made my father ill, and eventually, my mother was paralysed from the shock.
There was a time when some men came and started beating my elder brother. They said, “He’s grown up now – take him to the Sahab”. As they dragged him away, my younger brother saw it and tried to call the police. One of the men grabbed his hand and said, “You don’t know who we are. If you call the police, you’ll regret it.”
They kidnapped both of my brothers. Later that evening, when my other brother was returning home with his belongings, his car was also stopped, and he too was kidnapped along with the vehicle. Everyone told us to run away for our safety.
IANS: What happened with your family after that?
Monu: Whatever happened to us, I pray it never happens to anyone else. Our shop was burned down and looted – we were left with nothing. Somehow, we managed to survive.
Later, I received some help from my brother. Around that time, my sister got married in 2011. After her marriage, my brother became the only earning member of the family. I worked on some website projects and also had a small shop in Gala Bazaar.
We had many old dues to clear. My father had promised that we would repay every penny. But some big businessmen told him, “Return our goods first”. So, my father reopened the shop. For four years, we lived in very difficult conditions. Eventually, my father managed to reopen the shop, and the creditors took what was owed to them. There was nothing left after that.
I somehow borrowed money and restarted our livelihood. Things were slowly improving. Then, in 2014, my brother was killed. My brother and I had come to Siwan to visit our paralysed mother when he was shot dead. But nothing happened in the case, and we didn’t get any information about it.
–IANS
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