Chanda Babu: I fear for my family after Shahabuddin's release

Patna: Siwan strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin's release from jail on bail has not only sent shivers down the spine of several local businessmen and politicians, but also of Chadrakeshwar Prasad alias Chanda Babu (70) whose three sons were murdered in cold blood and who now fears that his rest of the family members would be eliminated by the former RJD MP's goons.Shahabuddin has been convicted for the murder of Chanda Babu's sons Satish and Girish and was granted bail by the Patna high court on September 7 in the murder case of his third son Rajiv Roshan.
"I fear for me and my family now," Chanda Babu told TOI over phone, adding that the Bihar government did not take any initiative to plug the legal loopholes to stop the gangster from walking free from jail.
Suresh and Girish were killed by pouring acid on them in Siwan on August 16, 2004 in the presence of Rajiv, the sole eyewitness who was also shot dead on June 16, 2014, just three days before he was to depose before a court in Siwan against Shahabuddin in connection with the murder of his two brothers. Shahabuddin has been awarded life imprisonment in the twin murder case.
"My paralytic wife Kalawati Devi (66) is somehow alive on medication while the youngest son Nitesh (27) is differently-abled. I am somehow meeting my daily needs and have nothing left to take up my sons' case before the Supreme court," Chanda Babu said, adding that two persons sent by senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan had come and he signed a 'waqalatnama' on Tuesday so that the advocate could represent him before the apex court.
"Bhushan is not charging me anything for taking up my case," the grieving father said. He also said he was forced to give five shops on the front side of his house on a meagre rent out of Shahabuddin's fear. Chanda Babu said Rajiv had left Siwan and had been living in Gorakhpur after somehow escaping from the clutches of Shahabuddin, but returned home to take care of his ailing mother which resulted in his murder.
"The average monthly rental of a shop in my area is somewhere around Rs4,000, but I charge only Rs1,500 for each of the five shops so that I could earn something to feed three of us left," Chanda Babu said and added that people fear to take his shops on rent.
He also said as soon as Shahabuddin was granted bail, the district administration doubled the security for his family. "His supporters burned crackers and erected a welcome gate just near my house, but I did not say anything to them," he added.
He said a few people told me that soon after the criminal-turned-politician reached home from jail, he inquired if the "old man" was still willing to fight against him in the court of law.
Chanda Babu said in 2004, his elder brother Kanhaiya Lal Prasad, a general manager with Reserve Bank of India in Patna at that time, was also threatened by Shahabuddin's men for giving him shelter after brutal killing of his two sons. "Within 15 days of the threat, my brother got himself transferred to Mumbai, but died of a heart attack out of fear, perhaps," he said.