'Talking like a child': Samrat Chaudhary slams Prashant Kishor on murder case charges

Patna, Sep 29 (IANS) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Monday strongly refuted Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor’s allegations linking him to the 1995 Tarapur massacre and the infamous Shilpi-Gautam murder case, calling the charges “childish” and “factually baseless.”

Prashant Kishor had earlier claimed that the CBI interrogated Samrat Chaudhary - then known as Rakesh Kumar, son of former minister Shakuni Chaudhary - in the Shilpi murder case, claiming the Lalu-Rabri government of the time shielded him.

Kishor also cited a Supreme Court affidavit to question discrepancies in Chaudhary’s age and demanded his immediate arrest.

Responding for the first time, Samrat Chaudhary said, “This novice is talking like a child. The Rakesh he is referring to is an ice cream seller from Hajipur, not me. My name is nowhere in the CBI investigation. This is nothing but an attempt to remain in the media.”

The Deputy CM counter-attacked Kishor, questioning the Rs 241 crore that the Jan Suraaj leader claims to have earned from providing consulting services.

“Where did you get Rs 241 crore? Who gave you the money? Since he is in politics, he has to answer it. I am not going to be fooled by this novice.”

Samrat also recalled the political hostility of the 1990s, alleging that during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s regime, “He (Lalu) and his supporters urinated in the grain and well of my house and jailed 22 members of my family. It was Nitish Kumar, then in the opposition, who walked seven kilometres to speak for us. The Human Rights Commission appealed, and the Supreme Court even penalised the Lalu government,” Choudhary said.

Earlier in the day, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor launched a scathing attack on the Bihar government on Monday, demanding the immediate dismissal and arrest of Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary in connection with the 1995 Tarapur murder case.

Addressing a press conference at his camp office in Patliputra Golambar, Kishor alleged that Samrat Chaudhary had manipulated his age in official documents to avoid conviction in the case, where seven people of the Kushwaha community were murdered.

Kishor produced documents claiming that in case number 44/1995, the accused was identified as Rakesh Kumar alias Samrat Chandra Maurya alias Samrat Chaudhary, son of Shakuni Chaudhary, with a recorded date of birth of May 1, 1981.

This, Kishor said, led the court to treat him as a minor and release him from jail at the time.

However, in 2020, Samrat Chaudhary declared his age as 51 in an affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, which would make him 26 years old in 1995, not a minor.

“The court acquitted him on a mistaken identity and age discrepancy. If the law is equal for all, he should be in jail until a competent court releases him,” Kishor said, urging Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan to take immediate action.

“Either dismiss him and arrest him, or release all murder accused of the state,” he added, threatening to lead a delegation to the Governor if no action is taken within a few days.

Kishor further alleged that Samrat Chaudhary’s name had also surfaced in the Shilpi-Gautam rape and murder case, which was investigated by the CBI.

“Samrat Chaudhary should clarify whether these allegations are true. If he denies them, we will produce more documentary evidence,” he warned.

With both leaders trading sharp accusations, the decades-old Tarapur massacre and Shilpi-Gautam case have resurfaced as a fresh flashpoint in Bihar’s charged political atmosphere ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections.

--IANS

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