A special court in Patna on Thursday convicted Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament Mohammad Shahabuddin in the murderous attack on the Siwan Superintendent of Police S K Singhal in 1996. The quantum of sentence will be announced on Friday.

The court pronounced Shahabuddin guilty under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, court officials said. Two of his bodyguards were also convicted in the case.

According to the FIR, the attack took place on May 3, 1996 when Shahabuddin was the Zeeradei MLA and Singhal was the Siwan SP. Singhal, after getting information about tension in Darauli Mathiya village, reached Darauli police station for investigation.

When Singhal was returning to Siwan, he saw four persons carrying arms at Done Bazaar. He sent his bodyguards to inquire. The moment the bodyguards reached the group, they escaped on a vehicle, provoking Singhal to chase, the sources said.

Police sources said as their vehicles reached near Dona Tola, another Maruti [Get Quote] car joined the chase and after sometime the occupants of both vehicles opened fire at Singhal. Singhal identified three of them as the Shahabuddin and his two bodyguards, Jehangir and Khaliq, who were in uniforms.

Later the group sped away while Singhal returned to Siwan. Next day, he lodged a written complaint with the Darauli police station.

Currently Shahabuddin is lodged in Siwan jail.