Who is Anand Mohan Singh and why is his prison release causing a row in Bihar

The release of former MP and gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh from prison — along with 26 others who have been in jail for more than 14 years — has caused a row across the state of Bihar. Here's all you need to know about Singh and the case.

The Bihar government on Monday evening issued a notification amending prison rules, allowing the release of 27 convicts including Anand Mohan Singh, who is serving a life sentence and was incidentally on parole during the time of issuance. Singh was celebrating his son Chetan Anand's engagement, who is a sitting MLA of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the state.

Besides Mohan, those whose release has been ordered include former RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav, who has been convicted of raping a minor girl, and Awadhesh Mandal, an ex-legislator of Janata Dal (United), named in many criminal cases, whose wife Bima Bharti is an ex-minister.

Anand Mohan Singh is a former Bihar MP who has been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of IAS officer G Krishnaiah. A gangster-turned-politician, Singh was present at the scene when IAS officer G Krishnaiah was beaten to death by a mob in 1994.

When interviewed by News18.com, Singh snapped at the use of the word "criminal" to describe him, questioning what defines one and whether he had been charged for rape or extortion.

"Criminals cannot fight against the ruling parties continuously, but I did so. So I request you not to use the word ‘criminal’ for me. Even my friends or opposition leaders don’t use this word to describe me," he said.

Krishnaiah, who was then the district magistrate of Gopalganj, was beaten to death by a mob in 1994 while his vehicle was passing through Muzaffarpur district. He was a Telangana (then Andhra Pradesh)-born Dalit IAS officer.

Anand Mohan was present on the spot at the time of the killing as a member of the funeral procession of Chhotan Shukla, a gangster who was killed in Muzaffarpur.

The sensational killing had acquired caste overtones in an era when the Mandal wave stirred Bihar. While Shukla was an upper caste Bhumihar and Mohan, his sympathiser, is a Rajput, the alleged killers were said to be sympathisers of Brij Bihari Prasad, an OBC strongman.

Singh's release has caused a row among political parties in Bihar. Lawmakers from the Bharatiya Janata Party have alleged that the Bihar government's decision to amend prison rules was unconstitutional.

"This decision is against the people and Dalit community, and has been taken keeping the election in mind," Sushil Kumar Modi alleged.

Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, speaking to the media on Tuesday night, said "What's the controversy in this? He has served his sentence and is being released legally."

Singh, however, expressed his gratitude towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who, along with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, was among the attendees at the gala function organised on the outskirts of Patna.

“All these years, others have been mere spectators. The sufferers have been my wife Lovely and the family members of G Krishnaiah. I wonder if those who are making noise over my release from jail, have ever cared to wipe the tears of the family members of the slain IAS officer," Singh said.

Janata Dal (United) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan, defended Singh's release, saying that he had served his jail term. He added that the Nitish Kumar government had removed a discriminatory clause that prevented some prisoners from securing release.

Meanwhile, Maha Nand Singh, an MLA of the CPI(ML) Liberation, demanded that amnesty also be extended to those who had been booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in the 1990s.

He submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on April 20 and said he looks forward to a positive response.

In a statement, the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association, a group representing central civil services officers, expressed "deep dismay" at the news and said this is "tantamount to denial of justice" and urged the Bihar government to reconsider its decision.