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Brigand Babuli Kol’s writ runs large in Bundelkhand
Brigand Babuli Kol’s reign of terror has prevailed in the semi-arid Bundelkhand region for many years.
Brigand Babuli Kol’s reign of terror has prevailed in the semi-arid Bundelkhand region for many years.
His gang has allegedly killed several people and police personnel on the suspicion of them keeping tabs on his men. His gang was so formidable that additional police teams had to be called in from Banda, Mahoba and Hamirpur districts to assist the Chitrakoot police whenever they closed in on Babuli Kol.
“Dacoits from the dominant Kurmi community used to lead gangs in the Bundelkhand region, but Babuli belongs to the Kol community. A majority of his gang members are from the Kurmi or the Kol community. He now has support from all the communities, which has made the task difficult for the police,” said a senior police official who was posted in the region for many years.
He said the UP police had several encounters with Kol’s gang but Babuli managed to escape every time.
The last such encounter took place in the jungles of Kalyangarh in Chitrakoot where sub-inspector JP Singh was killed and a constable injured on August 23, 2017, he added.
Babuli started out as a member of the gang of dacoit Shiv Kumar Patel alias Dadua, the official said.
After Dadua was gunned down in an encounter with the police in July 2007, Babuli joined the gang of Swadesh Patel alias Balkhadia. He took charge of the gang after Balkhadia was killed in an encounter in July 2015.
“Within a year, he spread his network in the districts of Bundelkhand. His influence increased in the region after the killing of notorious dacoit Lalit Patel and the arrest of Gopa Yadav in July 2018. Members of these gangs accepted Kol’s supremacy,” he said.
“Dacoits use villages near the forests as their hideout. They force the villagers to arrange food and shelter for them,” a local, Anuj Kumar, said.
“The dacoits often pressure the villagers to keep a watch on the police. They kill the villagers suspected to be police informants or those who oppose their activities,” he added.
He said Babuli Kol killed nine people, including five members of the family of former gram pradhan Saroj Srivas, on suspicion that they were passing on information about his gang’s whereabouts to the police.
