Amit Lodha in his book, published by Penguin India writes on how a Bihar don played a crucial role in leaking question papers of several exams.
Ranjan had worked in the Naxal district of Lohardaga in Jharkhand before coming to Bihar. On his posting to Shekhpura, he had expected a peaceful life. He had had enough skirmishes with Naxals in the jungles of Lohardaga. Little did he know that he would have the most harrowing experience in Shekhpura.
Ranjan was made the SHO of the Kasar police station in Shekhpura. Vijay Samrat’s influence was substantial and his word was law in the area under Ranjan’s jurisdiction. After just two days of Ranjan joining as the SHO of Kasar, Vijay sent an emissary.
‘Huzoor, Vijay Bhaiyya has sent his regards to you. We would be happy to provide you with newspapers and supplies of chicken, mutton . . . Anything you want, sir!’ said the messenger with a smile.
‘Don’t you dare enter the premises of this thana again! I can very well afford to pay Rs 250 for a monthly subscription of the newspaper. Get out!’ yelled Ranjan as he shooed him away.
Ranjan was now determined to put Vijay behind bars. The offer he had made was an affront to the police department. But Ranjan soon realized that Vijay was no ordinary criminal, considering all the things he heard about him. He was the undisputed king of all that he surveyed.
Ranjan weighed his options. He had limited manpower–– just four constables. One of the constables was always on leave. Ranjan asked one of the earlier SPs for more force to conduct raids against Vijay and his gang.
‘Ranjan, aap issi force se kaam chalaiye (Ranjan, you will have to manage with this force). I am sorry, I don’t have any spare jawans,’ said the SP categorically.
Shortage of manpower had become a common situation in most police stations in Bihar towards the end of 2005. The new government then came up with the rather effective idea of getting ex-Army jawans to work on a contractual basis for the Bihar Police. The ex-Army men came to be known as the Special Auxiliary Policemen (SAP), and they greatly augmented the strength of the Bihar Police.
Luckily, during the earlier assembly election, Ranjan had got a company of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers to maintain law and order in his area. This gave him a chance to go all out against Vijay. In fact, Ranjan narrowly missed catching Vijay after a fierce clash. Soon, his reputation as a scrupulous and fearless officer travelled across Shekhpura. It was then that Raju and Krishna decided to approach him.
‘Bada Babu, both of us have the same aim. The end of Vijay Samrat,’ said Krishna.
‘Why do you want to help the police?’ asked Ranjan with a little suspicion.
‘Sir, I think Raju will tell you,’ Krishna said, looking at Raju. Raju’s eyes welled with tears.
‘Sir, it is true that till a few months back, we considered Vijay the messiah of the downtrodden. We also supported him as our leader. In the parliamentary elections, Vijay exhorted all of us to vote for Rajneesh Don, a man from our own clan,’ said Raju.
Rajneesh Don was infamous for leaking the question papers of all prestigious exams such as the SBI Probationary Officer’s Exam and CAT, the IIM entrance exam. A number of doctors, especially, approached him to get their children admitted to prestigious medical colleges. After all, the doctors had made huge investments in their nursing homes and hospitals. How would their ‘talented’ children run those hospitals without degrees from good colleges? Rumour had it that he had helped a few subordinate government officials too. In fact, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had constituted a special task force to nab him. I also played an important part in his arrest since Rajneesh Don belonged to Nalanda. Such was his clout that he fought the 2004 parliamentary elections from Begusarai and got more votes than P.P. Jha, the former DGP of Bihar.
Raju continued, ‘But Vijay was one greedy man. Another powerful candidate offered him a bounty to sway the votes of our men in his favour. Vijay readily agreed. My brother protested strongly. How could we go against our people?’
‘Vijay did not tolerate any dissent; he did not like anyone speaking against him. Raju’s brother’s dead body was found in the fields the next day. His eardrums had been punctured and his tongue had been cut,’ Krishna completed the story.
Raju started sobbing. ‘Not only has he murdered many of his own men, he has raped countless girls and women. And nobody dares lodge an FIR. That would be like signing your own death warrant.’
‘Vijay loves killing people. One more case only adds to his aura,’ continued Krishna.
Ranjan was convinced that Krishna and Raju were the ticket to the capture of Vijay Samrat. He asked them to provide all the information they had on him. ‘Do whatever you can to finish him. I am here to support you,’ said Ranjan.
A few days later, Lakha, one of Vijay’s henchmen, tried to molest Ram Dular’s sister. An agitated Ram Dular sought Krishna and Raju’s help. It was time the members of Vijay’s gang were taught a lesson. Lakha was caught unawares and thrashed badly. This ‘success’ emboldened Raju and his men. They looked for an opportunity to carry out an attack on Vijay’s group.
A few days later, Ram Dular informed them that some of Vijay’s close aides were making merry in Mannipur village. At an opportune moment, a few of Krishna and Raju’s supporters climbed the terrace where the drunk gangsters were dozing after a night of revelry, and killed all five men in their sleep. Vijay lost most of his important men in one go.
Vijay seethed with rage. He decided a lesson had to be taught to Ram Dular.
This is an excerpt from ‘Bihar Diaries: The True Story of How Bihar’s Most Dangerous Criminal Was Caught’, by Amit Lodha, published by Penguin India.