Bihar CM slammed for releasing 'murder convict' Anand Mohan Singh

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced a massive backlash from the Opposition after the state government issued a notification for the release of don-turned-politician and ex-MP Anand Mohan Singh and 26 others.

Mohan was serving a life sentence for the murder of a Dalit IAS officer G. Krishnaiah from the Telangana region of undivided Andhra Pradesh, who was district magistrate at Gopalganj in 1994.

The court had found Mohan guilty of inciting a mob that was protesting against the killing of gangster Chotan Shukla in Vaishali. Krishnaiah was lynched by the protesting mob while he was going to Gopalganj.

The gangster-turned politician was sentenced to death in 2007 by a lower court and the Patna High Court later commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.

Mohan, who is out on parole, was celebrating the engagement of his son Chetan Anand, an RJD MLA, when he received the news of his impending release.

The Nitish Kumar government amended the Prison Manual, 2012, paving the way for the release of Mohan and 26 others by by amending a provision under which, previously, those involved in serious cases like the killing of a government servant could not be released even after the lapse of 14 years.

The opposition BJP saw Nitish Kumar’s political ambition behind the release of Mohan, a Rajput who is said to have popular support in several districts of Bihar including Mithilanchal. “He is doing this to save his ground in Bihar ahead of Lok Sabha and Bihar assembly elections,” the BJP said.

Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya, slamming Nitish Kumar, said, “Can someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate to hold on to power, be the face of India, even as Opposition leader? Corruption, crime, and a bid to defend their shrinking political turf is the glue for India’s opposition, from Mamata Banerjee to Nitish Kumar, Kejriwal to KCR…”

But the party was divided. Union minister Giriraj Singh,  BJP MP from Begusarai and a popular upper caste leader, said Mohan was being made a scapegoat. The Bihar government has ordered the release of a large number of criminals. Poor Mohan is being defamed in the process, Singh said.

BSP chief Mayawati criticised the move and urged Nitish Kumar to reconsider the decision. In a tweet, the former UP Chief Minister said that “the decision to release has hurt the sentiments of Dalits in the country. Despite all political compulsion, the Bihar government must reconsider its decision to release Anand Mohan who has been found guilty of the murder of a Dalit IAS officer.”

At the engagement ceremony, Mohan expressed his gratitude towards Nitish Kumar, who along with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, was among the attendees at the gala function organised on the outskirts of Patna.

The list of the 27 prisoners who are to be freed also includes Awadhesh Mandal, a former MLA associated with the Chief Minister's JD(U). Mandal's wife Bima Bharti is JD(U) MLA and a former minister. He is currently lodged at Bhagalpur jail.

A large number of those whose release has been ordered happen to be Yadavs or Muslims, largely seen as supporters of the RJD.

questions about Nitish Kumar’s efforts to stitch an alliance at the national level against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“Can someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate, to hold on to power, be the face of India, even as opposition leader? Corruption, crime, and a bid to defend their shrinking political turf is the glue for India’s opposition, from Mamata Banerjee to Nitish Kumar, Kejriwal to KCR…” BJP leader Amit Malviya said in a tweet after the Bihar government released a notification that paved the way for the release of Anand Mohan and 26 other prisoners.

Earlier, BSP Chief Mayawati had also criticized the move and urged Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to reconsider the decision to release the gangster turned politician Anand Mohan Singh.

In a tweet, the former UP Chief Minister said that “the decision to release has hurt the sentiments of Dalits in the country. Despite all political compulsion, the Bihar government must reconsider its decision to release Anand Mohan who has been found guilty of the murder of a Dalit IAS officer”.