Bihar: 'Who Mayawati? I Don't Know Of Any Mayawati', Says Gangster-Turned-Politician Anand Mohan

Former Member of Parliament and convict in the murder of IAS officer G. Krishnaiah, RJD leader Anand Mohan hit back at BSP chief Mayawati for raising questions about his release from jail on Monday (April 24).

On April 10, the Nitish Kumar government amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012 Rule 481, and removed the “murder of a public servant on duty” clause which prohibits the release of any person convicted of killing a public servant on duty.

Moreover, the Bihar government issued a notification ordering the release of 27 other prisoners along with Anand Mohan on Monday. This extends the 15-day parole of Anand which was to end today.

Anand is currently serving a life imprisonment sentence in the case and has been lodged in the Saharsa jail for the last 15 years. Anand is India’s first politician to be awarded a life imprisonment sentence.

He was granted parole in order to attend the wedding of his son. Talking to the media, Anand said, “Who Mayawati? I’ve never heard of her. I only heard of Kalavati in Lord Satyanarayan’s katha.”

G Krishnaiah, an IAS officer belonging to the Dalit community, and the then District Magistrate of Gopalganj, was killed during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla in 1994.

A lower court awarded a death sentence to Anand Mohan in 2007. However, the sentence was reduced by the Patna High Court to life imprisonment because it couldn’t be proved that he was an assailant. The sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati had slammed the Bihar government's move as “anti-Dalit” and asked the government to reconsider its decision. She said Anand Mohan has been a “compulsion” of several governments in Bihar and the move has left the Dalits boiling with anger.

However, the Mahagathbandhan leaders seem to be doubling down on their decision. Both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav attended the engagement ceremony of Anand’s son and Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Chetan Anand on Monday (April 24).

The move comes at a time when Nitish Kumar’s government faces several challenges from defecting leaders and dwindling support from their core voter base.

Anand Mohan, who hails from the Rajput community and holds considerable sway over them, is being seen as a way by the party to consolidate its voters ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2024.