Madhepura MP and leader of the Jan Adhikar party (Loktantrik) Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav was arrested late on Monday night in Patna.
Police said he was arrested in connection with an old case of creating chaos and fighting with policemen with brickbats near the Kargil Chowk in Patna on January 24.
On Monday too, Mr. Yadav and his supporters clashed with the police during a protest march towards the State Assembly. They were protesting against the recent average hike of 55% in power tariff in the State and also to demand a CBI probe into the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) question paper leak case.
Police said the MP allegedly provoked his workers to attack the policemen.
The Budget session is going on in the Legislature.
At 11:30 p.m., the Gandhi Maidan police reached Mr. Yadav’s residence in Mandiri and took him into custody while hundreds of his supporters kept raising slogans in his favour.
The police produced him before a judicial magistrate who sent him to jail.
Around midnight, Mr. Yadav was lodged in the Beur central jail of Patna.
Mr. Yadav is husband of Congress MP from Supaul Ranjit Ranjan.
Mr. Yadav, of late, has been making provocative statements against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ruling alliance partner RJD chief Lalu Prasad, alleging that the government had planned to kill him.
“Our workers heard two police officials talking about the government order to have me killed right at the rally venue. Is this how a democracy functions? It is a citizens’ birthright to stage protests when democracy does not function properly,” the MP said on Monday.
Sources told The Hindu that before Mr. Yadav was taken into police custody, he spoke to Lok Sabha Speaker and apprised her of the development.
The MP is likely to appeal in court on Tuesday against his arrest.
