New Delhi: Chetan Anand Singh, the MLA son of gangster-politician Anand Mohan Singh, met senior Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former state party chief Radha Mohan Singh last week — a development that came even as the party continued to target the Nitish Kumar government for having tweaked rules that would allow the former MP to walk free despite being convicted of murder.
On 19 April, Chetan, currently a legislator from the Rashtriya Janata Dal — an ally of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and part of the Mahagathbandhan ruling alliance — tweeted: “Father’s old friend and MP (Former Union Minister) and UP BJP in-charge, Shri Radha Mohan Singh ji arrived at Patliputra residence to bless my auspicious engagement! He also congratulated (me) for the possible release of my father”.
पिताजी के पुराने मित्र मा• सांसद (पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री) सह यूपी bjp प्रभारी, श्री राधा मोहन सिंह जी मेरी शुभ-सगाई के लिए आशीर्वाद देने पाटलीपुत्र स्थित आवास पर पहुंचे! उन्होने पिता जी की संभावित रिहाई को लेकर शुभकामनाए भी दीं । pic.twitter.com/3Tqon6RfhW
— Chetan Anand Singh (@ChetanAmohanRJD) April 19, 2023
The Sheohar MLA was referring to the fact that his father, former MP Anand Mohan Singh, who was convicted in the 1994 murder of IAS officer and Gopalganj district magistrate G. Krishnaiah, was released from Saharsa jail Thursday because the Nitish government tweaked a clause in the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012.
Days later, BJP’s IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya accused the Bihar chief minister, who was a BJP ally until last August when he broke off the alliance, of capitulating to the RJD’s “sinister machinations”
“Bihar government had surreptitiously removed the ‘murderer of a government servant on duty’’ category of prisoners by amending the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, paving the way for release of don-turned-RJD politician Anand Mohan, who was serving life term for murder of G Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer,” he wrote in a tweet on 24 April.
He further said: “Can someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate, to hold on to power, be the face of India, even as opposition leader? Corruption, crime and bid to defend their shrinking political turf is the glue for India’s opposition, from Mamata Banerjee to Nitish Kumar, Kejriwal to KCR”.
Will SC take suomoto action?
— JH (@jagdish_2204) April 24, 2023
ThePrint tried to reach Radha Mohan Singh for his response by phone and text message. This report will be updated if and when he responds.
Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan Singh was released under a jail sentence remission order after the state government’s recent amendment of prison rules, which allowed the early release of 27 convicts, including him.
Singh was convicted for his role in the 1994 murder of the then Gopalganj collector G. Krishnaiah during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla.
A local court had sentenced him to death in October 2007 but the Patna High Court commuted it to life imprisonment in December, 2008, after an appeal.
The Nitish Kumar government amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, on 10 April by removing a clause that said those convicted for murder of a public servant on duty could not be given remission of their jail term.
Critics of the state government say that it was done to help release Anand Mohan.
Also Read: Instead of decrying Anand Mohan’s release, I chose to hit ground zero of IAS Krishnaiah’s murder
Nitish govt under fire
Among those who attended the wedding of Chetan’s sister last February were Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, and former Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Modi.
It’s significant to note that Modi was among those questioning the release of Anand Mohan.
Criticism of the Bihar government’s move has also come from other states.
Telangana BJP leader and former IPS Krishna Prasad has written to K.Chandrashekar Rao, the state’s chief minister, urging him to ask his Bihar counterpart for a rollback of the decision.
Despite opposition from the rival BJP, however, there are some in the party, such as Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who have come to Anand Mohan’s defence. Calling him a “scapegoat”, Begusarai MP Giriraj Singh said he was being unduly targeted when the Bihar government had ordered the release of a large number of criminals.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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