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Bihar ‘Bahubali’ Anand Mohan set to be freed; Nitish Kumar seen at son's engagement
The Bihar government notified Anand Mohan Singh's release after the Nitish Kumar-led dispensation amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012.
Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh is set to walk free of jail after the Bihar government on Monday notified his release following the Nitish Kumar-led dispensation amendment of the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012. The murder convict, meanwhile, attacked those questioning the order of his release.
G Krishnaiah, then Gopalganj district magistrate, was killed in 1994 by a mob allegedly provoked by Mohan.
“One can say anything. Has the decision been taken in Gujarat also under the pressure of Nitish Kumar and the RJD? Some people were garlanded after being released,” Mohan, a former Member of Parliament (MP), said referring to Bilkis Bano case convicts who were released last year.
“I will return to jail after the ceremonies here and when release orders come, then I will call you all… I have already spent 15 years in jail. Then release is being done for my good behaviour under the jail rules,” he told reporters.
Mohan’s name is in 11th place on the list of 27 names to be released from jail. Mohan’s son and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Chetan Anand’s wedding is scheduled on May 3 in Dehradun.
Mohan got the news of his release as he was attending his son's engagement ceremony in Patna on Monday. Top political leaders and ministers, including Nitish Kumar, his deputy Tejashwi Yadav and JDU chief Lalan Singh were present at the engagement ceremony of Mohan's son.
His elder son, Chetan Anand, exchanged engagement rings with his fiancee Ayushi. The engagement took place at a farmhouse in Patna.
On April 10, the Nitish Kumar government amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, removing the “murder of a public servant on duty” clause from the list of cases for which remission of jail term cannot be considered, which helped Mohan, a Rajput leader with considerable influence on his caste voters.
Mohan was currently serving a life sentence for the murder of then Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer who hailed from Mahbubnagar in present-day Telangana, on December 5, 1994, in Muzaffarpur.
A trial court in October 2007 pronounced the death sentence for Mohan, which was later commuted to life imprisonment by Patna high court in December 2008 when appealed against the lower court’s verdict. Mohan challenged it in the Supreme Court but got no relief and remained in Saharsa jail since 2007.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati criticised the Bihar government for tweaking prison rules Mayawati on Sunday said the move has caused a lot of anger among Dalits across the country.
“Bihar Government tweaking prison rules to get Anand Mohan released in the brutal murder of honest Dalit, IAS officer G. Krishnaiah is in the news and is being seen all over the country as anti-Dalit,” Mayawati tweeted.
