Patna,(BiharTimes): Countering the charge of the Janata Dal (United) the Hindustani Awam Morcha on Sunday released an old photo showing former BJP MLC and now a JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha with Munni Devi, the Baheri block pramukh, who along with her husband Sanjay Laldeo, were arrested in the engineers’ murder case on Saturday.

This was in response to the Janata Dal (U) spokesman, Sanjay Singh, releasing a photo showing Munni Devi presenting a shawl to former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Talking to the media on the occasion the national spokesman of HAM, Danish Rizwan, asked as to how the main accused in the engineers’ murder case, Mukesh Pathak, married Puja, an accused in a kidnapping case, inside the Seohar Jail in October 2013. He said that the permission to marry was given by the home department, and that portfolio was then in the hands of the chief minister, Nitish Kumar.

The HAM spokesman charged that when the jailier, Ramchandra Shah, tried to check the ‘goondagardi’ of Pathak he was suspended at the instance of Nitish.

Rizwan asked as to how Puja became pregnant when Pathak has not come out of jail for years.

He alleged that it was at the instance of Nitish Kumar that Mukesh Pathak got a chance to escape from the jail on July 16, 2015; and thus a free hand was given for the return of Jungle Raj in Bihar.

So far making Munni Devi a member of HAM is concerned he said this does not arise as HAM did not exist then.

According to him HAM came into existence on July 28, 2015 when the fact is that the photo released by the Janata Dal (United) is of April 2 last. Jitan Ram Manjhi was then an MLA of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United).

Rizwan also said that the JD(U) people are alleging that the photo showing Sanjay Jha–– wearing a sweater––with Munni Devi is of Lok Sabha election. But since the parliamentary election was held in summer how can he wear a sweater. In fact, Rizwan said, the photo is of a function organized to celebrate the grand alliance victory last November.

In another photo Munni Devi and her husband are seen wearing caps of Janata Dal (United) and hoisting the party flag. Another photo is of victory procession after the Assembly election, Rizwan claimed.

Action should be tken against criminals belonging to any party. The JD(U) leadership should stop issuing such statements; rather check the rise in crime so that Bihar could be saved from Jungle Raj. But their objective is to give protection to the criminals, Rizwan alleged.