On November 16, 1991, during a by-election in Badh, a man named Sita Ram Singh was shot dead at a polling booth inside Dhiwar Middle School around 3 PM. His brother Ashok Singh registered a case five hours later, naming four people as accused, including Nitish Kumar, who was then the Janata Dal candidate from Badh. Others named were Dilip Singh, Dularichand Yadav, and Yogendra Prasad. The police later gave Nitish Kumar a clean chit, finding no evidence of his involvement. However, Ashok Singh challenged this in court. In September 2009, a lower court ordered a trial against Nitish, but the Patna High Court stayed proceedings. Eventually, Nitish's name was removed from the case. His 2024 election affidavit states he has no pending criminal cases. The incident involved booth-looting tactics common during that era, and Nitish was not directly involved according to journalists who covered the event.
The 1991 Polling Booth Shooting Incident
The shooting occurred at the Dhiwar Middle School polling station on November 16, 1991, during the Badh by-election. Sita Ram Singh, a villager supporting Congress, was killed in broad daylight. His brother Ashok Singh filed a First Information Report naming four individuals. Senior journalist Arun Pandey, who covered the election, recalled that booth-looting was rampant and all political leaders had their own fighters. He explained that the incident happened during such booth-looting clashes. Ashok Singh alleged that Nitish Kumar, along with others armed with rifles and pistols, fired shots with intent to kill. However, investigations revealed the killing happened amid factional violence over controlling ballot boxes, not from Nitish's direct involvement.
Legal Proceedings and Court Verdicts Over the Years
Police investigation cleared Nitish Kumar early on, but Ashok Singh challenged this in Badh court. On September 1, 2009, the court ordered a trial against Nitish, who was then Chief Minister. Nitish appealed in Patna High Court, which stayed the trial proceedings. Eventually, his name was removed from the case entirely. Nitish mentioned the case in his 2012 affidavit, but by 2024, his election affidavit stated no criminal cases were pending against him. Veteran socialist leader Shivnand Tiwari recalled a 1991 incident when Nitish insisted on meeting Dularichand, who controlled several booths in the Mokama area, to secure votes. Lalu Yadav had discouraged giving Dularichand importance, but Nitish persisted and visited him.
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