Political Turmoil in Indore: Former Congress Candidate Branded Absconder

Indore sees political drama as Congress puts up posters declaring former candidate Akshay Bam an 'absconder' in a 17-year-old attempted murder case. Bam recently switched to BJP. A cash reward is offered for information leading to his arrest.

Opposition Congress has put up posters against Akshay Bam, who withdrew his nomination as a candidate of the party from Madhya Pradesh's Indore Lok Sabha seat at the last moment before joining the BJP, describing him to be an ''absconder'' in a 17-year-old alleged attempt to murder case. These posters also announced a cash reward of Rs 5,100 for anyone providing information about him leading to his arrest.

A sessions court had issued an arrest warrant against Bam and his 75-year-old father Kantilal Bam on May 10.

Khajrana police station in-charge Sujit Srivastava said on Wednesday that the search for both the accused is currently underway.

The Congress' city unit acting president Devendra Singh Yadav said, ''Bam, who betrayed the Congress, is absconding in the attempt to murder case. We have put up posters at major intersections of the city, on three-wheelers and four-wheelers to help the police in his arrest.'' If any Congress worker or a common citizen provides information to the police about Bam, he will be given a cash reward of Rs 5,100, he said. The anticipatory bail plea of Bam and his father in the case of alleged attempt to murder is to be heard on May 24 in the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

A judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) had ordered on April 24 the addition of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 307 (attempt to murder) to the FIR registered against Bam and his father in connection with the alleged attack on local farmer Yunus Patel in 2007 over a land dispute.

Five days after this order, Bam withdrew his name as the Congress candidate from Indore and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).