On 27 April (Thursday) around 4.30 am, Anand Mohan Singh, the gangster-turned-politician, was released from Bihar’s Saharsa jail where he was serving a life sentence. His release comes amid massive backlash over the Nitish Kumar-led government’s decision to change prison rules facilitating the release of 27 convicts. Mohan was initially scheduled to exit prison at 7 am, but was let out earlier so as to avoid the media glare and traffic chaos.

Far away from Saharsa jail, the daughter of the IAS officer G Krishnaiah, who Mohan had incited to kill, was disheartened by the news. Speaking to news agency ANI, Padma said, “It’s disheartening for us that Anand Mohan Singh has been released from jail today. The government should reconsider this decision. I request Nitish Kumar ji to give a second thought to this decision. With this decision, his government has set a wrong example. It is unfair not just to a family but to the whole nation. We will appeal against this decision.”

But who exactly is Anand Mohan Singh? Why was he in prison? How has he now been let out and what’s the controversy all about?

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Who is Anand Mohan?

Anand Mohan is a gangster-turned-politician with close ties to Bihar’s political bigwigs. Belonging to Rajput community, Mohan holds sway over the Kosi region of Bihar.

A resident of Panchgachiya village in Saharsa, Mohan’s political career began as a Janata Dal candidate in the 1990 elections, when he won from Hamhishi Assembly constituency. Both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav were in the Janata Dal then, and that election saw Lalu become chief minister of Bihar for the first time.

In 1993, after friction developed between Mohan and Lalu, the former split from the Janata Dal and formed the Bihar People’s Party (BPP). Unsurprisingly, this party took a strong anti-Lalu stance, making him a hero of the upper castes, especially among his Rajput community.

Two years later, when Nitish too split ways with Lalu, Mohan joined hands with the Nitish Kumar-George Fernandes-led Samata Party and won the Lok Sabha elections from Sheohar in 1996.

Over the years, he has built close ties with different political parties and that led to his wife Lovely Anand and son Chetan both getting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tickets as recently as the 2020 Assembly polls; she lost narrowly, he won.

His close ties with politicians has also been on display during his son’s recent engagement where Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav were present.

Why was he sent to prison?

His release from Saharsa jail stems from the murder of Dalit IAS officer G Krishnaiah in 1994.

On 5 December 1994, a funeral procession was taking place on the Vaishali-Muzaffarpur highway; the procession was led by a few politicians including Anand Mohan Singh and it was carrying the body of Kaushlendra Kumar aka Chhotan Shukla, another gangster turned BPP leader.

While the crowd was mourning, people in the procession spotted the vehicle of G Krishnaiah, a young 1985-batch IAS officer and then the district magistrate of Gopalganj. He was heading to Patna at the time.

Egged on by Anand Mohan Singh, the crowd soon turned into an irate mob and vented its anger on Krishnaiah. He was dragged out of the car and lynched to death.

In 2007 – a full 13 years after the incident – Mohan was sentenced to death by additional district judge RS Rai for inciting the mob. He was found guilty under penal sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting) and 427 (causing damage). In 2008, the Patna High Court commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. In 2012, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and life sentence.

Then how has he been released?

Mohan’s release from prison is courtesy a change to Bihar’s Prison Manual by the Nitish Kumar-led government.

On 10 April, the Bihar government announced an amendment to Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, dropping the provision that barred anyone accused of the “murder of a public servant on duty” from premature release. This tweaks rule 484(I) of the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012.

Former IPS officer Amitabh Kumar Das told the Times of India that before this change, the state did not permit for the early release to three types of prisoners – rapists, terrorists, and murderers of government servants on duty.

The government’s change in rules effectively paved the way for Mohan, who was already out on parole for his son’s wedding to be released.

The decision to tweak the rules and facilitate Mohan’s release along with 26 other convicts sparked a political controversy, with the coalition government drawing fire from the BJP. Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar’s former deputy chief minister, said Kumar had sacrificed law to stay on in power with support from ally RJD.

The Bihar government’s decision to tweak the rule also evoked great anguish from the slain IAS officer’s wife. Speaking to Indian Express, G Uma Krishnaiah was quoted as saying, “Nitish Kumar is setting a horrible precedent by releasing a person convicted of murder. It will embolden criminals to attack government officials because they know they can easily get out of prison. For just a few Rajput votes, he has taken a decision that has so many consequences for the common people. The Rajput community should think over this – whether they want a criminal like Anand Mohan to represent them in politics.”

The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association also conveyed “deep dismay” over Mohan’s release. In a statement, they said that the decision is “equivalent to a denial of justice” and implored the state government to reconsider their actions.

“The Central IAS Association expresses its deep dismay at the decision of the state government of Bihar to release the convicts of the brutal killing of G Krishnaiah, IAS, former district magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners,” it said.

Why has he been released?

The change in the prison manual allowing Mohan’s release has a lot to do with Bihar politics. His release is being seen by many as a move by Nitish Kumar to woo Bihar’s upper caste votes.

Results of successive elections in Bihar show Nitish’s support base has been declining. If he is able to woo Anand Mohan, there’s a chance that he captures the important Rajput vote in the state. Rajputs in Bihar constitute four per cent of the upper caste vote bank, which is 12 per cent of the state’s electorate.

And this is where Anand Mohan comes in. Whether Nitish Kumar’s move works though, only time will tell. In the meantime, the residents of his village, Panchgachiya in Saharsa district, are eagerly awaiting their leader’s homecoming.

With inputs from agencies

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