Bhojpur/Patna/Lakhisarai: The wayward son of English Mohalla in Bihar’s Lakhisarai returned after 17 years. A large crowd gathered to see 48-year-old Ashok Yadav walk free after serving jail time for murder. Yadav is one of the 27 prisoners Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar helped free last week, the most prominent among them being gangster-turned politician Anand Mohan Singh.
Many in the crowd were holding marigold garlands as they waited to catch a glimpse of the former convicts. It was hard to tell some of them had been convicted for horrific murders, rapes and kidnappings.
Anand Mohan Singh’s release captured national attention of the media, politicians, and the outrage of IAS officers across the country. The others that the Bihar government simultaneously released that day escaped public scrutiny.
Ashok Yadav went to three different temples soon after his release. A floral wreath that was made for his home’s entrance is still there. People arrive every day to meet and greet him. Now that he is free from prison, he doesn’t have to worry about feeling ashamed or lowly. On the contrary, he has gained a bit of VIP status in the village now.
“I felt like I was getting married again,” said Yadav, eight days after being released from Lakhisarai Mandal jail, sitting in his pucca white house.
While Anand Mohan’s release surprised many observers and indicated a new Rajput-inclusive political coalition taking shape in Bihar’s RJD-JD(U) camp, the others who got free are part of the core base of these regional parties. Thirteen of the released individuals come from the Yadav and Muslim communities and three of them are Dalits. Their crimes range from robbery to murder.
Also read: Anand Mohan’s release shapes new Dahi-Chooda coalition in Bihar. Dalits have no space in it
Return of the Bahubali
Yadav is derided as a “small fat Bahubali” by the local people. Lakhisarai has gained notoriety for crime in recent decades. In the past, it wasn’t unusual to find an AK-47 in people’s homes.
As soon as Yadav arrived in the village, his family handed out almost 200 kilograms of barfi, laddu and candies for children. The mood was festive and celebratory.
“Everyone in the neighborhood, from children to grandparents, was curious to see how he turned out after being locked up for so long,” Yadav’s neighbour Mahadev Yadav told ThePrint.
According to information accessed by ThePrint, he had more than 20 cases registered against him. He was punished for the crime of killing two people in 2003. But Yadav does not seem worried about the ongoing cases against him. “ I have spent too much time in jail to be affected by those two-four minor cases that are pending against me,” Yadav said.
Dressed in a crisp new brown suit, a yellow shirt and new slippers, Yadav’s skin is glowing, his hair dyed in black. “Now our biggest aim is to get our daughter married.”
Dressed in a blue sari, Ranju Devi said that her husband’s release felt like the realisation of a lifelong dream. “I used to watch the kids in his absence. In the past, I pleaded with every deity to free him. I used to see him every two to four months. Now I will finally be with him.”
Yadav also did a road show. But the media was more focussed on Anand Mohan’s road show and grand Panchgachia village welcome.
Muslim and Yadav names in the list of released convicts include: Mohd. Khudbuddin, Akhtar Ansari, Mohd. Dastgir Khan, Allauddin Ansari, Halim Ansari, Dastgir Khan, and Ashok Yadav, Shivji Yadav, Kirath Yadav, Rajballabh Yadav, Kishundev Rai, Patiram Rai, Chandeshwari Yadav, and Khelawan Yadav. Collector Paswan, Ramdhar Ram and Panchanand Paswan are the three Dalits.
Patiram Rai was 93 years old in November 2022 when he died in Buxar Central jail. Out of the 27 inmates, seven have to report to the local police station once a month for the next two years. This includes Ashok Yadav.
Political optics
Opposition leaders in Bihar are accusing Nitish Kumar of acting purely for electoral gains by releasing the convicts and shoring up the caste groups.
“If Anand Mohan had completed his jail term as the government contends now, then why was it compelled to amend the state prison manual?” asked BJP leader and Bihar’s former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi adding, “The fact is that the jail manual was changed to set free 26 hardened criminals.”
Although JD(U) leaders are justifying the state government’s move. “Anand Mohan’s release has been done according to the rule of law. It has happened perfectly. Why is there a ruckus? Anand Mohan has been in jail for more than 15 years. The decision has been taken after taking everyone’s opinion. The Parihar Board has met 22 times in Bihar since 2017 and 698 prisoners have been released,” said JD(U) MLA Sanjeev Kumar.
But the political optics turned into an opportunity for the opposition to corner the Bihar government.
“Nitish Kumar claims to work for the Dalit and the backward caste but he has now exposed himself in front of those communities. When he sees votes, he forgets about the poor, Dalits and everyone,” said Prashant Kishore, political strategist.
Anand Mohan Singh was given life imprisonment in 2007 for the murder of a Dalit IAS officer G. Krishnaiah in 1994. An enraged IAS officers Association issued a statement of condemnation and the slain officer’s wife Uma Devi has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the early release.
The crimes of others in the released inmates list were no less.
Awadhesh Mandal of the Kosi division is the husband of former minister and JD(U) leader Bima Bharti. Mandal, who belongs to the OBC community, used to operate the infamous Faizan Gang in the Seemanchal region and according to local media, more than a dozen cases are registered against him. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on 18 April 2007 on charges of robbery and murder.
Another noteworthy name is Pappu Singh aka Rajeev Ranjan. He was sentenced on 29 November 2010 and there are many cases of murder and kidnapping registered against him in Motihari. He has been asked to mark his presence at the local police station every month for two years.
Another notorious criminal on the list is Devnandan Nonia. He was sentenced on 31 November 2013. He has also been asked to report at Muffassil police station every month for two years.
“Bihar under Nitish has turned into ‘Andher Nagri, Chaupat Raja’ (a chaotic state with a confused ruler). Anand Mohan is a dreaded mafia don known as “Aatank” (terror) Mohan. But Paltoo Ram (Nitish) got the jail manual amended to set him free,” said Amitabh Das, ex-IPS officer.
“Lok Sabha polls are 11 months away. And Nitish Kumar has released Anand Mohan with an eye on the Rajput vote bank! This is shameful for a CM who talks big about ”Sushasan” (good governance) and “Antaratma” (conscience),” he added.
Also read: Anand Mohan’s release points to new caste equations being tried in Bihar: Experts
Learning to live new life
The list includes two convicts from the Paswan community and one of them is Collector Paswan aka Ghurfekhan of Belaur village in Bhojpur district. He said he never thought that he would walk out of jail. At the age of 13, Paswan was sent to juvenile home in the district for the murder of a resident of his village before being shifted to Arrah Mandal Jail. He is now 30 years old and has learned to read and write during imprisonment. He can write his name too.
Hundreds of people including journalists and local residents came to see Paswan after he was released. He was dropped at his home in a government vehicle where his visually impaired and physically disabled mother was waiting for him in a mud house.
“It felt very bad to see the condition of the house. Had I not gone to jail, it would have been properly built,” said Paswan, sitting under the thatch of his home.
After seven days of release, he started missing jail and found it difficult to adjust in the new environment. “Having been in jail for so many years, I have become used to it. Now I do not feel at home here,” said Paswan, wearing a white coloured towel around his neck. “The jailer Sahib made us wear this gamcha (towel),” he continued.
As a reward for his good behaviour, the jailer gave Paswan a shirt, a pair of jeans and a towel. When he walked out of the jail, he bought a golden watch with the money he earned by cooking in the Arrah jail’s kitchen.
With five soldiers walking beside him and 8-10 garlands around his neck, Paswan is the new star of Belaur. “The jailer told me not to talk to anyone much, but people keep visiting. There is no place even to sit here,” Paswan said.
Paswan looks older than his age. This smile of freedom is just not leaving his face. Getting married is his priority. “Now I will get married, have children, and live my life in peace. The jail was good too, but now I have to learn to live life outside,” said Paswan.
About two kilometers from Lamuabad village in Patna district, 45-year-old Shivji Yadav is attending his brother-in-law’s wedding. It is the first public gathering he has been to after serving 15 years in jail. He was sentenced in 2008 for the murder of a labourer who worked for National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC).
There were no celebrations for Yadav’s homecoming on 27 April. His family was concerned about his health.
More guests are interested in talking to him than the groom. Women in their festive outfits roam around the wedding hall, trying to get a glimpse of him. But Yadav’s expressions hardly change. He never smiles while talking to people.
“We’ll all learn to smile again now that we have got our lives back,” he said.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)