Farewell to arms, now Mandal is building a Shiva temple

Meet Niranjan Mandal, the ‘Gabbar’ of Jamaldihpur village. He faces 28 criminal cases, including dacoity, murder and rape. Such was his terror that he forced the people to rename the village Niranjan Nagar, 15 years ago.

But, today Mandal is a ‘transformed’ man. After Nitish Kumar took over as Bihar chief minister in November 2005, Mandal gave up crime and became a do-gooder. He is building a Shiva temple right in front of his ancestral home and organises competitions for folk singers during festivals like Holi and Chhath.

What has triggered this sudden change? “It is good governance and non-interference on the part of the big boss of the state that has helped in closing down the kidnapping industry,” said P.K. Thakur, additional director general of police.

“I have not been charged in a single criminal case since 2006. Under the previous government, I was forced to take up crime,” said Mandal. “Today almost all cases pending against me are on the verge of being disposed of. I am a respected person in the eyes of the administration and the people.”

Many hardcore criminals like Mandal have had a change of heart.
During 2001-05, Bihar had 1,778 cases of kidnapping for ransom, 203 bank robberies and dacoities, 8,501 road robberies and dacoities and 6,243 cases of other dacoities. The number of cases has dropped by almost half during 2006-June 2010.

Munna Singh of Moresarai village in Rohtas district admitted that he took to crime in 1995 because it gave him easy access to people in power. “I earned lakhs through kidnapping. A politician, who was also a minister in the Rabri Devi government, became friendly after I became an established criminal,” he said.

All that is past for Munna, who claims to be a transformed person today. “I have bought three auto rickshaws and a Scorpio that I give on rent,” said Munna. “In the last five years, I have not committed even a single crime. Moreover, I motivate the youngsters to stay away from crime. But the police still think of me as a criminal and it is intolerable.”

Like Munna, Deobansh Rai of Ballia village has said farewell to arms. He  has taken up farming after purchasing a harvester in 2007. Rai, who has a dozen criminal cases registered against him, blames torture by some strongmen from the nearby village for his taking to crime. “With a change of atmosphere after the Lalu and Rabri regime ended, I decided to mend my ways,” he said.

If it was circumstances that made Rai a criminal, it was the lure of big, fast money that turned Damdam Yadav of Gosaigaon in Navgachhiya district into a kidnapper. According to police records, Damdam is involved in 20 kidnap cases across the state.

Damdam’s father, Yamuna Prasad Yadav, a retired high school teacher, claims his son was an intelligent boy who had qualified for a job in a bank. “But some enemies of the village got 15 false cases registered against him, forcing my son to take up arms and become a criminal to take revenge,” he said.

Improved law and order and the fear of arrest made Damdum give up his old ways. He now works as a folk singer and a private tutor. Damdum’s mother is the village mukhiya. “She won the elections because of my good reputation among the people and the constructive work done by my son,” said Yadav. “Nitish Kumar has brought a radical change not only in my family but also in the entire district which had witnessed the reign of 50 notorious criminal gangs.”

Like Mandal, Sarjan Yadav, too, was known for creating terror in the Kosi ravines. Around 50 cases are still pending against him in the district. But today, Sarjan has become a ‘Sajan’ (gentleman).  “Sarjan is chairman of the village’s Durga puja ,” said Prabhat Yadav, who was his right hand in the gang for over ten years.
While most criminals who have given up crime have faded into oblivion, some like Shanker Singh, the ‘commander-in-chief’ of North Liberation Army (NLA)—an outlawed organisation that ruled the roost for a decade ?in Purnea and Khagaria and some parts of Bhagalpur districts—have turned to politics. When not dealing with his political opponents, Shanker does farming. His trusted aide Manoj Singh is into real estate business while the NLA spokesperson, Chandan Singh, is active in the Congress.

For Druvdeo Dubey and Tej Prakash Awadhia of Gopalganj district, the  time that they spent in jail has brought about a transformation in them. Out on bail, Dubey is busy farming on his 150 acres in Dhup Sagar village while Awadhia has opened a cloth shop in Gopalpur.
While some criminals have taken the path of reformation there are others who are on the run and have taken shelter in Nepal or the neighbouring states.

Breeding ground

Thirty criminal gangs were operating in Bihar in 1999, as per a report compiled by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that year in response to a home ministry query on organised crime in the state. These gangs were engaged in professional murder, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, robbery and rioting.
The report said the gangs had sophisticated weapons, communication systems, transport and other resources. Among the gang leaders were Sunil Pandey, Munna Shukla, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Surajbhan Singh, Pappu Dev, Jakir Mian and Rajan Tiwary. In 2000, almost all these gangsters won the Assembly polls. Pappu Yadav has been an MLA since 1990.

Another report prepared by the CID in August 2005 said 22 districts in Bihar were under complete control of 70 dreaded criminal gangs who were running parallel governments and enjoyed the patronage of politicians from the ruling and the opposition parties.
Today, Bihar is free from organised crime. “There are criminals who have been declared absconders. But they do not dare indulge in organised crime. In fact, they have started supporting a particular party to come closer to power so that they can revive the ‘kidnapping industry’,” said a senior police officer.
On the stark contrast in the situation under Lalu and Nitish governments, a police officer said, “I have been here for last the two years and not even once have I received a call from above ordering the release of a criminal.”