A dramatic turn of events unfolded in Sasaram district of Bihar on Monday (20th October), the last day for filing nominations for the second phase of the Assembly elections, when Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Satyendra Sah was arrested moments after submitting his nomination papers. This is the third such incident involving an INDIA bloc candidate. The arrest took place right outside the office of the Returning Officer.
He was involved in a 21-year-old criminal case bearing number 320/2004, which was registered in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district, said police officials. The case was registered under Sections 395, 397, and 120B of the IPC, related to dacoity, armed robbery, and criminal conspiracy. He had been absconding for years, and a warrant had long been issued against him by the Garhwa Civil Court.
Garhwa Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar confirmed that Sah had been arrested, stating that Sah had been absconding for more than two decades in the case. “A non-bailable warrant already existed in the court, and we were in contact with the Rohtas police for its execution,” said Kumar.
Accoording to the media reports, Garhwa police had collaborated with the Karhgar police station in Rohtas district to conduct the operation. The strategy was to arrest Sah right after he submitted his nomination, as his visit to the subdivision office was a golden chance to take him into custody.
A large police contingent had been deployed outside the nomination centre from morning, and speculations were created that something big could happen. Immediately after Satyendra Sah stepped out after submitting his papers, Karhgar police officers rushed in and apprehended him immediately. Witnesses described the RJD candidate as shocked but not resisting arrest.
The Karhgar police then handed him over to the Garhwa police party, which took him to Jharkhand in the later evening. The arrest prompted political debate immediately both in Sasaram and Garhwa, with some stating that it has been a setback for the Mahagathbandhan, a coalition of the RJD with other parties.
Satyendra Sah is not new to politics. In the 2010 Assembly elections, he contested as a Congress (J) candidate and managed to secure over 6,000 votes. Around three years ago, he also fielded his wife for the Mayor’s post in the Sasaram Municipal Corporation elections. However, his name has often been linked to criminal cases, some of which date back more than 15 years.
Police officials said they had been tracking Sah’s movements for days. “We had prior information that he would appear for the nomination filing, so we deployed a team near the Returning Officer’s office. The arrest was planned and executed smoothly,” an officer said.
The RJD has not yet issued an official statement on the incident. However, party insiders privately admitted that the arrest has embarrassed the local leadership and disrupted their campaign momentum. “It’s a setback, especially at this crucial stage of the elections,” said a party worker from Sasaram.
Satyendra Sah’s arrest highlights once again the recurring theme in Bihar politics, the intersection of crime and elections. While many political candidates across parties have pending criminal cases, an arrest in such a high-profile and public setting has reignited debate over the kind of candidates being fielded in the state’s elections.
For now, the RJD candidate remains in custody, awaiting further legal proceedings in Garhwa. Meanwhile, discussions continue across Sasaram, about the arrest, its timing, and its likely impact on the upcoming polls.
Before this, CPI(ML) Liberation’s candidates from Bhore and Darauli seats, Jitendra Paswan and Satyadeo Ram, respectively, were arrested after filing their nomination papers.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on 6th and 11th November, with results set to be announced on 14th November.
