NEW DELHI: Independent Bihar MP Rajesh Ranjan, known as Pappu Yadav, was arrested by Patna Police late on Friday night in a case that goes back to 1995.
Police reached his house in Patna’s Mandiri area to act on a court warrant in a forgery case. At first, Pappu Yadav refused to go with the police. He said the warrant was only for attaching his property, not for arresting him.
There was tension outside his house as many supporters gathered and argued with police. After some time, the police took him into custody. He will be produced in court on Saturday.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya Sharma said the warrant was issued by an MP/MLA court in the 1995 case under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with forgery.
The police arrived at his house soon after he returned from New Delhi, where he had gone to attend the Parliament session.
Before his arrest, Pappu Yadav told reporters that he was already planning to appear in court on Saturday. He accused the police of misbehaving and said some officers were not in uniform. He also claimed the police did not show an arrest warrant.
Pappu Yadav said he was being targeted for speaking against the Bihar government. He said similar actions were taken against him during the Covid pandemic when he was helping people.
Recently, he has been raising concerns about the safety of girl students living in hostels in Patna, following the death of a NEET aspirant. He said some students had called him and made serious allegations.
The MP, who supports the Congress party, also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking on the Motion of Thanks in the Lok Sabha.
Police officials said the arrest was done as per court orders.