In one of some rare moments in Bihar politics, almost the entire state Cabinet, Opposition leaders and other key figures gathered at the residence of murder convict strongman Anand Mohan Singh to bless his daughter when she exchanged ring with her fiancé in Patna on Monday evening.
Chief minister and JDU supremo Nitish Kumar, his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, finance minister Vijay Chaudhary, water resources minister Sanjay Jha and science & technology minister Sumit Singh were among the galaxy of politicians who attended the ring ceremony of Surabhi Anand, an advocate in the Delhi high court.
Several leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who otherwise accused the Grand Alliance government of encouraging and protecting criminals in the state, were also present at the function.
Former minister and BJP leader Neeraj Kumar Singh ‘Bablu’, the cousin of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput was also seen engrossed in a conversation with the convicted RJD leader who is out of jail on parole for 15 days.
Madan Mohan Jha, the president of Bihar Congress, also attended the ceremony. The Grand Old Party is a part of the Nitish-led alliance government in the state.
Anand Mohan, who was convicted in a case of murder of a young IAS officer in Gopalganj, was released on parole for 15 days on November 2, for the ring ceremony of his daughter and to meet his ailing mother.
In 1994, a mob dragged then-district magistrate G Krishnayya, a Dalit, out of his official vehicle and lynched him and shot him to death near Khabra village in the presence of Anand Mohan. The officer was just 35 years old when he faced the wrath of the mob for not taking timely action after the murder of Mohan’s close aide Chhotan Shukla.
Prior to the commutation of his death penalty by the Patna High Court in 2008, Anand Mohan held the dishonour of being the first politician in independent India to be awarded the death penalty.
His wife and former MP Lovely Anand and their son Chetan Anand are active in Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Chetan is currently an MLA, representing the Sheohar constituency in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Anand Mohan belongs to the Rajput community which commands huge influence over a large vote share in Saharsa, Gopalganj, Madhepura and other districts of North Bihar.
Born in the family of a freedom fighter, Mohan left college and joined the ‘Sampurn Kranti’ movement led by Jaiprakash Narayan in 1974. He spent two years in jail during the Emergency in 1975. In the 80s, Mohan emerged as a strongman politician having several criminal cases against him. He was elected an MLA from the Mahishi Assembly constituency with a margin of more than 62,000 votes in 1990.
Once seen as a potential challenger to Bihar stalwart Lalu Prasad Yadav, Anand Mohan is currently serving a life sentence in Saharsa jail.