Two days after former Janata Dal (United) Minister Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha was caught on camera purportedly showing him taking a bribe, the Patna police on Tuesday registered an FIR against him. Earlier, Mr. Kushwaha had resigned from Nitish Kumar Cabinet after the sting video went viral on the social media. His candidature from Pipra Assembly seat too was withdrawn.
“An FIR has been registered against Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha last night [Monday night],” Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Vikash Vaibhav, said. He added that the FIR was registered on the basis of the report submitted by the executive magistrate Rajiv Mohan Sahay.
After the sting operation surfaced, the Election Commission had asked the district magistrate to probe the incident. Ashok Kumar Chaudhury, Deputy Superintendent of Secretariat Police station, has been asked to investigate the case, said Mr. Vaibhav.
The sting videotape showed Mr. Kushwaha allegedly taking bribe of Rs. 4 lakh from a fake Mumbai businessman in return for some of his work done after the formation of the next government. Kushwaha was Excise, Registration and Urban Development Minister in Nitish Kumar Cabinet.
Mr. Kushwaha was shown taking bundles of currency notes while mentioning five Ministers of “similar mindset.”
