Day after sentence, Lalu’s sister dies

Jitendra K Shrivastava

Patna, January 7

A day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad was sentenced to three and a half years of imprisonment in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court, his only sister Gangotri Devi died here today.

Devi, 75, who had been fasting throughout the day yesterday hoping for a lighter sentence, apparently could not bear the shock and died, claimed family members.

The special CBI court in Ranchi on Saturday sentenced him to three and a half years of imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Devghar treasury between 1994 and 1996 of undivided Bihar (now in Jharkhand). Fifteen others were also sentenced by the court.

Had Lalu got less than three years of jail, he would have immediately got bail from the court. He will now have to move the Ranchi High Court for bail.

Asked about whether Lalu would attend the final rites of his sister or he would come out on parole, Leader of Opposition and Lalu’s younger son Tejaswi Yadav said: “We have yet to see the legal complexity. We have tried to inform Lalu ji about the sudden demise of his only sister. Now, arrangements are being made to take the body to her native village Chakrapan of Gopalganj district where her funeral be performed.”

Gangotri died at the official residence of her son Rudal Yadav on Vetenary College campus in Patna.

She is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Soon after Gangotri’s death, Lalu family, including his sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap Yadav, and wife Rabri Devi rushed to the deceased’s residence.