Yadav had started his career as a Group-D employee in the Vidhan Sabha but quit his job after his sister Rabri Devi took over the state’s reins from Lalu Prasad, who was charged in the fodder scam case and had to resign.

He became a member of the Bihar Legislative Council in 1998 and it was the time when he wielded sweeping influence over the administration along with his brother Aniruddh Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav. However, both fell out of favour once the RJD regime ended in 2005 November over poor law and order situation, especially several cases of kidnapping for ransom and extortion.

Though Yadav is not new to controversies, he got cornered in the land grab case after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar learnt about it on June 6, 2022, during his routine ‘janata durbar’ (a platform where common people could share grievances with Kumar). Nitish Kumar instantly asked the Patna district magistrate to investigate the matter.

Though the Patna police on January 30 last year had pasted the proclamation order of the absconder on the walls of Yadav’s house in the city’s Vidhayak Colony area of Kautilya Nagar, not much moved forward in the case until recently.

The complainant Bhim Verma, a resident of Bela village under the jurisdiction of Neora police in rural Patna and who alleged that his land had been fraudulently grabbed and money extorted, again approached the Patna district magistrate on May 4, 2023, citing the CM’s order.

“It was then that DM Chandrashekhar Singh talked to Patna SSP and things moved. At their behest, the FIR was lodged. When I had tried to lodge FIR at the very beginning after getting threats despite losing my land and money, it was not possible due to the dilly-dallying approach of the local police due to the enormous clout of the people I wanted to name,” said Verma.

Apart from Subhash Yadav, others named in the case include his wife Renu Devi, son Randhir Kumar, Pankaj Singh Yadav, Arjun Ray, Arun Kumar Munsi alias Mukhiya and Arun Kumar Singh.

City SP (West) Abhinav Dheeman said that the charge sheet in the case would soon be filed to ensure a speedy trial. “At present, the incarcerated former MP’s wife Renu Devi, son Randhir Kumar and three others are on bail, while the investigation against another accused Arun Kumar Munsi alias Mukhiya is on,” he added.

The case

The FIR, lodged under various sections of the IPC for cheating, extortion, trespassing, dishonestly inducing delivery of property, criminal conspiracy, and intimidation, states that Subhash Yadav purchased a plot of land of seven kattha of land in the name of his wife. He paid ₹96 lakh to Bhim’s mother Meena Devi despite being made aware of the failed agreement for the same land signed with Munsi three years ago for just three months.

The complainant alleged that on February 27, 2021, the former MP called him along with his mother and brother at his house and forced him to return ₹60 lakh after holding his mother and brother hostage and threatening him with dire consequences. Later, another ₹30 lakh was extorted from Verma and he was made to sign on dotted lines on stamp paper under duress. Yet, Verma’s ordeal did not end and he kept receiving constant threats and was also attacked.

Shaken by the attack and fearing the worst, Verma called the emergency number 122 and Munsi was arrested by the police, but the FIR was still not lodged. He also alleged that the Neora police attempted to deliberately hush up the matter in his complaint to Patna police on June 15, 2023. Finally, a hapless Verma reached the CM to narrate his woes as to how he ended up losing his precious land as well as money.

“Had I not gone to the CM and the DM not taken an interest in the case, even the FIR might not have been lodged. It has been sheer trauma for the entire family,” said Verma

Not the first time

This is not an isolated case against Yadav, who served one full term each as Rajya Sabha MP and as a member of the Bihar Legislative Council.

Earlier, Mirganj police station of Gopalganj district had lodged an FIR against him for allegedly manhandling a woman when she tried to stop his men from constructing a structure on her land.

Subhash Yadav was, during his days of strong influence over the state government, also accused of forcing the Patna-New Delhi Rajdhani Express to change platform at the Patna junction. RJD chief Lalu Prasad was then the railway minister.

Earlier on May 10, 2010, a Bihar court ordered the registration of an FIR against Yadav, his wife Renu Devi and three others with the Jakkanpur police station of the state capital on the charge of kidnapping a liquor shop employee Umesh Singh.