New Delhi [India], April 26 : Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday said the Bihar Government is anti-Dalit as it released former gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan who was convicted in the 1994 murder of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer.
While speaking to , Athawale said, "I strongly oppose the decision to release former MP Anand Mohan Singh, who was serving a life sentence in the murder case of former DM G Krishnaiah of Bihar's Gopalganj district. I term this decision of the Nitish government as unfortunate".
"G Krishnaiah, the DM of Gopalganj, came from the Scheduled Caste. The release of the former Bihar MP is possible only after the Nitish government's amendment in the Bihar Jail Rules 2012, which reflects the state government's policy of giving protection to criminals," the Union Minister told
After Bihar Government amended the rules of the Jail manual, an official notification stated that 27 prisoners who have served 14 years or 20 years in jail have been ordered to be released.
Anand Mohan was serving lifetime imprisonment in Saharsa jail in a case of lynching the District Magistrate of Gopalganj, G Krishnaiah.
As per reports, the case pertains to 1994. Krishnaiah was killed when his car was attacked during the funeral procession of a gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand Mohan was part of the procession, and Muzaffarpur police had charge-sheeted him for provoking the supporters to commit the crime.
Uma Krishnaiah, widow of slain Dalit IAS officer G. Krishnaiah urged the Bihar government to withdraw the decision and said that this will set a bad precedent and have serious repercussions for the entire society.
"We are not happy, we feel it is wrong. There is caste politics in Bihar, he is a Rajput, so he will get Rajput votes. Otherwise, what is the need of releasing a criminal? He will be given an election ticket so that he can bring Rajput votes," she said.
Also, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has strongly criticised the Bihar government's move for the premature release of incarcerated leader Anand Mohan Singh.
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