It was an exhausting day for the supporters waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite leader. Local and national media houses had posted their representatives at every place where they could get the reaction of the ‘Bahubali’ who was released from Saharsa Jail after 15 years, 9 months and 20 days. Over 500 four-wheelers and a thousand motorcycles with ‘Sher-e-Bihar’ flags waited to escort the leader. Women, children and elders stood for hours carrying garlands and flower petals to give him a grand welcome in Panchgachia village. But it all went in vain when the country’s first politician to be sentenced to death (later life imprisonment) did not appear in public for a day after being released from prison.
Former MP and former MLA Anand Mohan gave a surprise to his supporters and media persons waiting to come out of jail in Saharsa on Thursday. Around 8 in the morning it was learned that Anand Mohan was released around 3-4 in the morning and he disappeared from public view. His release time was earlier expected to be at 11 am. People did not know where Anand Mohan was. Some said he had gone to his village, others speculated that he had gone to a hotel, and some said he was staying at a relative’s house in Patna.
Supporters had started arriving from different districts of Bihar, and some from Uttar Pradesh as well. Every supporter was sure that their leader would appear before them and address the gathering. The plan was to hold a roadshow on the streets of Saharsa at 11 am. First, garland the statues of Anand Mohan Ambedkar and Veer Kunwar Singh and then do a huge roadshow. Then he and thousands of his supporters would go to his native village Panchgachia, which was just 12 km from Saharsa city. Throughout the day media and supporters kept coming and going between Panchgachia and Saharsa, but Anand Mohan could not be found.
Back in Panchgachia in the scorching heat, hundreds of women and children stood in queues with flower petals in their hands, and men with garlands. There was arrangement of puri-sabzi, rasgulla, gulab jamun and other sweets.
At around 5 pm, Anand Mohan’s son and RJD MLA Chetan Anand and daughter Surabhi Anand reached Panchgachia and said that their father was asked to keep the release normal. Later CNN-News18 found out how and why ‘Sher-e-Bihar’ eluded everyone. After being released from Saharsa Jail, Anand Mohan reached Patna by road via Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur in the morning. Here he had a flight to Delhi at 11 am. From there he reached Dehradun. According to sources, Anand Mohan was in touch with the Chief Minister of Bihar. Nitish Kumar Thursday (April 27). He also claimed that the instruction was that Anand Mohan should not speak to the media. He was told to leave straight for Dehradun and prepare for his son’s marriage.
According to sources, security was a major issue and the disagreement between the Dalit community and the Central IAS Association on their release had worried the CM. Observers say Nitish Kumar is image-conscious and from the very beginning has branded himself as ‘Sushasan Babu’ (the one who provides good governance). At a time when the rules of the Bihar Jail Manual were changed to release 27 people imprisoned for over 14 years and clear the way for Anand Mohan as well, there was resentment from the Dalit community and the late IAS officer’s family . Krishnaiah strongly opposed the decision of the Nitish government. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also condemned the decision of the Nitish Kumar government and termed it as an anti-Dalit move. Moreover, a PIL was filed by Amitabh Das, a retired IPS officer from Bihar, after the Central IAS Association expressed its displeasure and requested Nitish to reconsider.
Another reason for canceling the grand show in Saharsa is said to be the media trial of Anand Mohan in Patna on April 25, when he gave interviews to more than 15 journalists. “Anand Mohan should not have spoken to the media before he was finally released. It got negative headlines and upset many people including our Netaji. During his interview, mocking Mayawati was also not appreciated,” said a close aide. Another supporter from Munger said, “There could be security issues too… The kind of incident (Ateeq Ahmed’s murder) that happened in Uttar Pradesh has created concern among public figures.”
Amid controversy over the release of Anand Mohan Singh, Bihar Chief Secretary Amir Subhani argued on Thursday that the measure was in accordance with the law and the state government had done nothing wrong in amending the Prison Manual 2012. “We have followed all the guidelines before passing. release order. Anand Mohan is a politician and many things are going on regarding his case. He has been sentenced for more than 15 years and has also spent 7 years in jail. Therefore, he has already been in jail for more than 22 years. Therefore, the decision taken in his case is in accordance with law,” he said.
Uma Krishnaiah, wife of the late IAS officer, had said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi must intervene and Nitish Kumar must withdraw his decision, which will set a bad precedent and have serious consequences for the entire society. “My husband was an IAS officer and it is the responsibility of the Center to ensure that justice is done,” she said.
G Krishnaiah’s daughter Padma Krishnaiah told CNN-News18, “Requesting CM Nitish Kumar is futile as he has taken this decision to appease Rajput voters in Bihar. We will instead go to the Supreme Court and challenge the decision taken by his government.”
However, Anand Mohan’s son Chetan Anand said that he wanted to meet the family of the slain IAS officer. If allowed, we want to meet his family..we can do it as soon as possible.
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