Bihar ‘bahubali’ Anand Mohan Singh release triggers calls to free two more upper-caste netas

PATNA: The release of don-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, who was convicted for an IAS officer’s murder and awarded life imprisonment, has sparked demands to free a few other “bahubali” politicos in Bihar, adding to the discomfiture of the Nitish Kumar government that is already facing a lot of flak for allegedly tweaking prison rules to benefit the former MP.
Voices are being raised to free another former MP, Prabhunath Singh, and former legislator Anant Singh, who are powerful upper caste politicians belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD. Several posters have come up in Patna, seeking early release of Prabhunath and Anant, with their supporters launching campaigns to set them free, citing the case of Anand Mohan.
Mohan walked out of jail on Thursday after a remission of his sentence following a recent amendment in a specific clause in Bihar Prison Manual, 2012. Prabhunath, a four-time MP from Maharajganj, is serving life sentence in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh jail for the murder of then Janata Dal legislator Ashok Singh, who was shot dead at his Patna residence on July 3, 1995. Prabhunath was handed the life sentence by a Hazaribagh court in May 2017.

Anant, five-time legislator from Mokama, was awarded a 10-year jail term in an Arms Act case after an AK-47 rifle and other weapons were seized from his residence during raids in August 2019. Leading the campaign for the release of the two strongmen, Krishna Singh Kallu told the media on Saturday that he was ready to go to any extent to fight for the case of the upper caste leaders.
Kallu, who claims to be the chief of Swarna Kranti Dal, said “rajya sarkar ko unhe chhodna hi padega (the state government will have to release them).” Leaders of the ruling Grand Alliance dismissed such demands. “It has no meaning. Anand was released from jail in accordance with the laid-down procedures. These leaders have not completed their jail terms,” JD(U) national general secretary Rajiv Ranjan said.