Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, who was serving a life sentence, was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday morning after being behind bars for 15 years. The former Bihar MP was released under a jail sentence remission order after the state government’s recent amendment of prison rules, which allowed the early release of 27 convicts, including him. Singh was convicted for his role in the 1994 murder of the then-Gopalganj collector G Krishnaiah during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla.
A local court had sentenced him to death in October 2007, but the Patna High Court commuted it to life imprisonment in December 2008 after an appeal. The Nitish Kumar government amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, on April 10, removing a clause that said those convicted for murdering a public servant on duty could not be given remission of their jail term. The move had sparked political controversy, with the coalition government facing criticism from the opposition. Singh’s release is being seen as the Mahagathbandhan government’s attempt to shore up support from Rajputs.
