June 13, 1998 – A date etched in the political memory of Bihar. Around 5 PM, a hospital ward in Patna AIIMS turned into a battlefield. The air roared with the sound of AK-47s, and within just five minutes, Minister Brijbihari Prasad, a powerful figure in the Rabri Devi government and a close confidant of Lalu Prasad Yadav, lay dead—his body riddled with bullets.

The shocking murder wasn’t committed in secrecy or darkness. It happened inside a government hospital, under the nose of 22 commandos and Bihar Police, in broad daylight. But the killers weren’t ordinary criminals—they were led by one of India’s most feared gangsters, Shriprakash Shukla, and assisted by other dreaded names like Munna Shukla and Mantu Tiwari.

Born in Ada village, Brijbihari came from a modest background. His father managed properties of the local royal family. Academically brilliant, he topped his matriculation and pursued civil engineering, later becoming a PWD engineer.

But rampant corruption, casteism, and political interference pushed him out of government service. He then entered politics by associating with Rajput youth, eventually rising in influence through Chandrashekhar’s party and becoming an MLA in 1990. His alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav made him a powerful and controversial figure in Bihar’s caste-driven politics.

The killing wasn’t random. It was the culmination of a years-long gang and political rivalry.

• 1994: Brijbihari was allegedly behind the murder of Bhutkun Shukla, the brother of gangster Chotan Shukla and a candidate from the Kesaria seat. Bhutkun’s death infuriated the Mokama gang, and the Shukla family vowed revenge.
• During Bhutkun’s funeral, DM G. Krishnaiya was lynched by an angry mob led by Anand Mohan—another turning point in Bihar’s political-criminal nexus.
• Munna Shukla, younger brother of Bhutkun and Chotan, had sworn to take revenge by any means.

Minister Brijbihari had tight security due to repeated threats. But that didn’t deter his enemies.

• On June 11, Shriprakash Shukla arrived in Patna from Gorakhpur and ominously visited a newspaper office, stating something big was about to happen.
• June 13, five armed men arrived in an Ambassador car and a Bullet motorcycle, rushed into the hospital ward, and opened indiscriminate fire with AK-47s.
• Brijbihari was hit multiple times. The shooters left calmly, without any resistance from the deployed security.

Even more shockingly, it was later revealed that after the murder, the attackers relaxed for hours at the residence of Muzaffarpur MLA Raghunath Pandey, collected weapons and fresh magazines from local arms dealers, and left the city undisturbed.

The massive public outrage that followed forced the state to act. A case was filed on June 15, naming Shriprakash Shukla, Munna Shukla, Mantu Tiwari, and others including Suraj Bhan Singh, the feared Mokama gang leader allegedly controlling the plot from Beur jail.

However, as political pressure mounted, names like Lalan Singh, Rajan Tiwari, and Satish Pandey were dropped during court proceedings.

While Shriprakash, Anuj Pratap Singh, and Sudhir Tripathi were later gunned down in police encounters, Munna Shukla and Mantu Tiwari were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the District Court, a decision later upheld by both the High Court and Supreme Court.

Brijbihari wasn’t just a political figure—he was accused of wanting to control the underworld. He allegedly tried to eliminate Mokama gang leaders, including Suraj Bhan, by conspiring against them even within jail premises.

This power struggle blurred the lines between politics and organized crime. Munna Shukla, driven by revenge and backed by the Mokama gang, found an ally in Shriprakash Shukla, who viewed the hit as an act of gangland dominance—a sort of “Guru Dakshina” for past favors.

The murder of Minister Brijbihari Prasad exposed the deep-rooted criminal nexus in Bihar politics during the 1990s. The incident wasn’t just a political assassination—it was a public execution inside a state-run hospital, highlighting the collapse of law and order at that time.

Today, many of the accused have either been killed or served their terms. But the blood trail left behind by this brutal assassination remains a dark chapter in the political history of Bihar.