Today, the Bihar government announced the release of 27 prisoners, including former MP Anand Mohan Singh, who was convicted for the 1994 murder of bureaucrat G Krishnaiah. It was alleged that Singh provoked a mob that killed G Krishnaiah while he was on duty as Gopalganj District Magistrate. Singh was initially sentenced to death in 2007 by a lower court in Bihar but was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012.
Earlier this month, the Bihar government amended its rules, which removed the clause forbidding the remission of jail term for those convicted of murdering public servants on duty. Due to the amendment, the state’s law department announced the release of prisoners who have served a sentence of 14 years or a sentence of 20 years with remission. Anand Mohan Singh’s release has stirred up controversy, with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) calling the change in rules “anti-Dalit.”
Ms. Mayawati tweeted that Anand Mohan Singh’s release, particularly because of his conviction for the brutal murder of honest IAS officer G Krishnaiah, who belonged to a poor Dalit family, would anger the Dalit community. BJP’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya also criticized Nitish Kumar, asking if someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate to hold on to power can be the face of India, particularly as an opposition leader.