Kamal Ghorui
Following his arrest by Patna Police in connection with a 1995 case, Purnea MP Pappu Yadav said he was unsure about what lay ahead or where he was being taken. The arrest came after high drama at his Patna residence, where police arrived to take him into custody.Speaking to reporters, Yadav said he was unwell and expressed fears over his safety. “I am not well… I don’t know what will happen with me,” he said.Ahead of the arrest, Yadav told ANI that he feared the police might harm him and insisted that he wanted to be taken directly to court instead of a police station. He said the court had summoned him the next day and suggested that house arrest could have been considered. He also questioned the police for arriving in civil clothes, saying he initially thought they had come to kill him. Referring to the case, he noted that it was registered nearly 35 years ago and questioned the need for his arrest at this stage.“I have doubt that these people might have killed me. I will go straight to the Court. I will not go to the police station. If they want, they can house arrest me. The Court has called me. Police reached here in civil uniform like criminals. I thought they had come to kill me. Is this a criminal’s house? There was a case registered around 35 years ago, and the police came to arrest me in connection with that case,” Pappu Yadav said.Later, the Independent MP was admitted to IGIMS hospital following health concerns.Patna SP City Bhanu Pratap Singh said the case was registered under the old Indian Penal Code, which has since been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He said the case involves Sections 419, 420, 468, 448, 506 and 120B and is linked to the Gardanibagh police station.“This is a 1995 case which was under the old IPC, now replaced by the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), involving sections 419, 420, 468, 448, 506, and 120B. The arrest is being made under these sections. This case concerns the Gardanibagh police station. The trial was ongoing in court, and the MP was supposed to appear, but he did not appear on the scheduled date. Therefore, he is being arrested,” Singh told reporters.He added that Pappu Yadav has been provided with medical supplies and that his caretaker is accompanying him. The MP is being taken for a medical examination, after which he will be produced at the police station.
