On Wednesday, the gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh was released from the Saharsa jail in Bihar. This is after the Bihar state government’s law department made minor changes to the Bihar Police Jail Manuals, 2012, resulting in release of the Singh who was found guilty of killing Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994.
According to the reports, the supporters of the gangster-turned-politician celebrated his release and displayed posters welcoming him. The supporters outside the Saharsa jail in Bihar held placards praising Singh and yelled, “Anand Mohan Zindabad,” the video of which was shared on social media. Posters welcoming the former MP were also put up at Veer Kunwar Singh Chowk in the district.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the jail authorities released around 14 convicts from separate jails of the state after changes to the Bihar Police Jail Manuals, 2012 were made. Singh and seven others reportedly could not be released yesterday. He was however released this morning.
In 2007, Mohan, 69, was found guilty of killing Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994. He was found guilty of instigating a crowd that was leading a protest march after the murder of bodybuilder Chhotan Shukla. When Krishnaiah accidentally crossed the protest march’s path, the crowd lynched him.
Merely five words—”a civil servant on duty”—were removed from Rule No. 481 (1) (a) of the Bihar Police Jail Manuals on April 10 this year by the state home department, which later made it easier for Mohan and others to be released.
The home department stated that the decision to free the 27 prisoners was taken considering their age which is between 75 to 93. “On the lower age group side, there are also convicts from the mid-20s to 50s age group. The idea to set them free was because of poor health conditions of the aged prisoners and also to give a second chance to the younger lot”, the department official was quoted.
Notably, on April 25, a group representing Central Civil Services officers had written to the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government to reconsider the decision to release gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan. In the letter, the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association, New Delhi, expressed its ‘deep dismay’ at the decision and termed it as ‘tantamounted to denial of justice’.
Anand Mohan was convicted in the murder of 1985-batch IAS officer G Krishnaiah who was serving as then-Gopalganj District Magistrate. “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 Late Shri G Krishnaiah, IAS, former District Magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners. A convict of a charge of murder of a public servant on duty cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category,” the statement by association read.
However today, the former MP, gangster-turned-politician was released by the state from the Saharsa jail in Bihar. He was welcomed by his supporters who yelled, “Anand Mohan Zindabad,” on his release this morning.