Court refuses permission to police to take Ojha murder case accused on remand

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ara, on January 11 rejected petition of Bhojpur police seeking to take Haresh Mishra, the main accused in senior BJP leader on Bisheshwar Ojha murder case, on police remand. Ojha, vice-president of Bihar unit of BJP, was shot dead on February 12, 2016. Haresh was arrested in Hugali area in Bengal.

The Investigating officer (IO) Arvind Kumar had filed a petition in the court on January 7, 2017, seeking to take Haresh Mishra on remand on the plea that the police want to know about the firearms used in the murder and hideout of his brother Brajesh Mishra.

Advocate of Haresh Mishra pleaded that police had already grilled and interrogated him at the time of his  transit remand and now it would be infructuous to allow remand second time. Hearing both the parties, the court rejected the petition of police.

Bisheshwar Ojha was gunned down on February 12, 2016, at Sonbarsha Bazaar under Karnamepur police outpost in the evening when he was going to attend a marriage ceremony. Seven persons including Haresh Mishra and his brother Brajesh Mishra, sons of a jail bird, Shivjeet Mishra, were made accused in the FIR. The government had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 award on heads of both the brothers. The STF, Patna, arrested Haresh Mishra along 0with his elder brothers: Dhananjay Mishra and Kishun Mishra, on December 25, 2016 from Uttarpada area in  Bengal and brought them here on transit remand. After their interrogation, police disclosed that Haresh Mishra confessed his involvement in the murder of Bisheshwar Ojha due to land dispute and personal enmity.

On January 11, activists of the BJP led by former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi staged a day long dharna in front of the office of Shahpur block officer demanding immediate arrest of Brajesh Mishra and speedy trial of the case.