Patna, August 31
A special court in Siwan today sentenced RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin to 10-year rigorous imprisonment, a day after he was convicted in a case related to the murderous attack on then Siwan SP S.K. Singhal in 1996.

Public prosecutor Rambilas Mahto said session judge Gyaneshwar Prasad Srivastava sentenced Shahabuddin to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 2,000. “The court had found him guilty under Section 307 of the IPC and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment,” he said.

The judge also sentenced Shahabuddin to two-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 under Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty). Shahabuddin was also sentenced to seven-year imprisonment under Section 27 of the Arms Act, besides a fine of Rs 1,000. All the sentences would run concurrently.

This is not the first time that Shahabuddin, who faces charges in over 30 criminal cases of murder, abduction and possession of illegal arms and stolen vehicles, has been sentenced by court. Earlier, a court sentenced him to life imprisonment in the 1999 abduction and suspected murder of the CPI(ML) activist Chotelal Gupta.

Besides, the alleged sensational murder of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Chandrasekhar is also pending against this controversial RJD leader, once known as the “uncrowned” king of Siwan.

The court sentenced came as a major set back to Shahabuddin .Two of his bodyguards were also convicted in the case and sentenced to one-year imprisonment.

According to the FIR, the attack took place on May 3, 1996 when Shahabuddin was the Zeeradei MLA and Singhal was the Siwan SP. Singhal, after getting information about tension in Darauli Mathiya village, reached Darauli police station for investigation.

When Singhal was returning to Siwan, he saw four persons carrying arms at Done Bazaar. He sent his bodyguards to inquire. The moment the bodyguards reached the group, they escaped on a vehicle, provoking Singhal to chase.

Sources said as their vehicles reached near Dona Tola, another Maruti car joined the chase and after sometime the occupants of both vehicles opened fire at Singhal. Singhal identified three of them as Shahabuddin and his two bodyguards, Jehangir and Khaliq, who were in uniforms.

Later, the group sped away while Singhal returned to Siwan. Next day, he lodged a written complaint with the Darauli police station.

Shahabuddin is now lodged in Siwan jail.