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Journalism of Courage
AFTER BIHAR, a small change in the Bihar Jail Manual is creating ripples in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
With the move seen as benefiting former MP Anand Mohan, a convict in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Sunday alleged a caste angle to the decision.
Calling it “anti-Dalit”, the BSP chief tweeted: “The move by the Nitish government to prepare the release of Anand Mohan after changing rules in the case of the brutal murder of extremely honest IAS officer G Krishnaiah, who belonged to a poor Dalit family from Andhra Pradesh’s Mehboobnagar (now in
Telangana), is being discussed for negative and anti-Dalit reasons in the whole country.”
Mayawati added that authorities had been left “helpless” by Anand Mohan, and that given “the anger among the Dalit community across the country”, the Bihar government should reconsider the decision.
As per Rule 481(i)(a) of the Bihar jail manual: “Every convicted prisoner, whether male or female, undergoing sentence of life imprisonment and covered by the provisions of Section 433A CrPC, shall be eligible to be considered for premature release from prison immediately after serving out the sentence of 14 years of actual imprisonment, i.e. without the remissions.”
It lists categories of convicted prisoners covered under the Section who would be entitled to be considered for premature release only after serving 20 years, including remissions. Till April 10, those convicted of murdering public servants on duty also fell in this category.
While Bihar Home Department sources tentatively expect 29 people across the state to benefit from the change, the biggest name could be Anand Mohan Singh. A former Lok Sabha MP, Anand Mohan was one of the co-founders of the Samata Party along with Nitish, and is still counted as one of the state’s most prominent Rajput leaders, with sizeable clout among voters. His wife Lovely Anand has also been a Lok Sabha MP, while their son Chetan Anand is an MLA of JD(U) ally RJD from Sheohar.
Several Rajput leaders in the JD(U) have long been putting pressure on the Mahagathbandhan government for Anand Mohan’s early release. On at least three occasions in the last two years, the Bihar CM has himself hinted that he “stands” by his former colleague.
Asked about Mayawati’s charge, JD(U) MLC and former minister Neeraj Kumar told The Indian Express: “First, let us make it clear that the recent amendment in the Bihar Jail Manual to allow release of murder convicts who have completed sentence of 14 years was not meant for any individual, but several people lodged in jail. Second, we wonder why Mayawati did not speak up in the Bilkis Bano case (the Gujarat gangrape and murder that saw remission of the sentence of the accused).”
Getting into the Dalit debate, the JD(U) leader also sought to know why the former UP CM did not criticise the Centre after it discontinued a school hostel scheme named after Dalit icon and former deputy PM Jagjivan Ram.
With Nitish Kumar taking the lead in a bid for Opposition unity, Neeraj Kumar parried the question on whether Mayawati’s remarks could come in the way of this.
Another JD(U) leader said: “Mayawati is not much of a stakeholder in mational politics and her disagreement with other non-BJP parties on issues on governance and politics would not matter much.”
Anand Mohan was convicted for the murder of Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994, in Vaishali, after a violent mob lynched the DM, allegedly on the provocation of the politician and others. The politician was sentenced to death by the Patna High Court in 2007, with the Supreme Court later converting it to life imprisonment. He is currently in Saharsa jail.
