AN AWARDEE OF Rs. 2 LAKH DREADED BUTAN CHAUDHARY ARRESTED

AN AWARDEE OF Rs. 2 LAKH DREADED BUTAN CHAUDHARY ARRESTED

18-AUG-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------Bihar's notorious criminal and former area commander of Ranvir Sena Bootan Chaudhary has finally come under the custody of STF. On Saturday night, Bihar STF caught him from Mumbai, Maharashtra. A reward of Rs 2 lakh was announced on him. Bootan Chaudhary's arrest has once again created a sensation in Belaur Panchayat and its surrounding areas.

More than five serious criminal cases are registered against Bootan Chaudhary. Just three months ago, he came out of jail in the case of murder of BDC member Deepak Sah. In 2016 also Bootan Chaudhary was caught with AK-47 and pistol. At that time, he had openly displayed weapons to show dominance in the Panchayat elections. In that case, the court had sentenced Bootan to seven years and Upendra to three years.

Bootan Chaudhary has been notorious in the area for his fondness for AK-47 and modern weapons. His name had become synonymous with terror in Ara and surrounding areas. According to the villagers, Bootan often tried to establish dominance on the strength of weapons, from panchayat elections to mutual disputes.

After Bootan Chaudhary remained absconding and was found involved in many incidents, the police headquarters had announced a reward of ₹ 2 lakh against him. The STF team arrested him in Mumbai on secret information. At the same time, Bhojpur Police raided Belaur village and recovered a cache of weapons from his house.

A named FIR has been registered against Bootan Chaudhary and his brother Upendra. Both have several serious charges like murder, firing and possession of illegal weapons. The police say that now the "politics of weapons and terror" will be wiped out from Belaur Panchayat and surrounding areas.

The arrest of Butan Choudhary is not just the arrest of a notorious criminal, but it is also a strong blow to the political-criminal nexus that has long influenced the politics of Bihar from panchayats to the assembly. The involvement of the Mukhiya family with AK-47 and grenades has once again raised the question—are panchayat elections merely the foundation of democracy, or is it a game of power emanating from the barrel of a gun?