By IANS
Patna : Hundreds of lawyers in Bihar will go on a strike Thursday to protest the murder of additional public prosecutor Ramnaresh Sharma last week, allegedly by Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Surajbhan Singh — who is a known muscleman in the state.
Sharma, a 55-year-old human rights activist known for his vocal stand against criminals, was shot dead by two unidentified men at his residence in Begusarai, about 126 km from here, on Nov 8.
The Bihar Bar Council has asked the nearly 80,000 lawyers practising in the Patna High Court, district courts, sub divisional courts, central administrative tribunal and other judicial forums to abstain from professional work to protest Sharma’s murder.
Rajendra Prasad Singh, chairman of the state bar council, Wednesday said the decision of a daylong strike was taken in an emergency meeting Tuesday.
“Sharma’s murder has shaken the confidence of people engaged in the legal profession. We will go on a strike to protest the murder, pressurise the government to arrest the people behind his killing and demand protection for lawyers,” Singh said.
Forty-eight public prosecutors and additional public prosecutors of the Begusarai District Civil Court had Monday threatened to resign en masse to protest the murder.
The Bihar Bar Council has decided that none of its members will plead the case for Surajbhan Singh, who was named the main accused in the first information report (FIR) filed in connection with the murder.
However, the MP has denied his involvement.
Singh faces several criminal charges, including murder, extortion, kidnapping and looting. He represents the Balia constituency in parliament and is considered close to Steel Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan.
Paswan Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder and gave a clean chit to the MP, saying the party would go to any extent to ensure he is exonerated of all charges.
However, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar turned down the demand for a CBI probe into the murder.
“There is no need for a CBI probe,” he said, adding he had already ordered a high-level probe into the killing and announced a compensation of Rs.1 million for his family.
The state government has also decided to provide armed security cover to all judges who are hearing speedy trials as well as the public prosecutors and additional public prosecutors arguing such cases.
Hundreds of residents held a daylong protest in Begusarai town Nov 9 in protest against Sharma’s murder. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) gave a strike call on that day against the killing, which was later supported by other political parties.