Bahubali and former MP Anant Singh come out of prison

Anant Singh. | Photo credit: THE HINDU

Gangster-turned-politician and former MP Anant Singh, who was jailed under an Arms Act, came out of Beur Jail at 5.10 am on Friday, August 16. On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, the Patna High Court had quashed the conviction of a former MP in two similar cases that had earned him a prison term of 10 years each.

Former independent MP from Bihar Anant Singh has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after an AK-47 rifle, 22 cartridges and two bombs were seized from his ancestral house.

As he came out of the jail, numerous supporters and well-wishers were present to welcome him. Mr. Singh's family members were also present outside the jail to welcome and greet him. His sons Abhishek Singh and Ankit Singh were present outside the jail.

Former Mokama MP Mr Singh was released from prison by ambulance and later boarded his car which had picked him up to drive to the village.

Mr Singh faced disqualification following the first verdict in June 2022. The verdict related to a case filed following the seizure of an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and two hand grenades from his ancestral residence two years earlier. The second case, in which the verdict was passed in July 2022, related to the seizure of a 2015 INSAS rifle.

“I have got justice and it feels good to be out of jail. Now action should be taken against Lipi Singh who framed me wrongly. I will request Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to hand over the case to the CBI so that the truth comes out. She is the one responsible for sending me to jail when I was innocent,” Mr Singh, also known as Chote Sarkar, told the media soon after his release from jail.

Lipi Singh, a 2016 batch member, was the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Barh in Patna district and is the daughter of former MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader RCP Singh. At that time, RCP Singh was in the Janata Dal-(United).

She, along with another IPS officer, had searched Mr Singh's house, where weapons and bombs were found.

Mr. Anant Singh was on parole for 15 days in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and was campaigning for Janata Dal (United) candidate Rajiv Ranjan Sigh alias Lalan Singh for the Munger seat. Both Lalan and Mr. Singh belong to the Bhumihar caste and Singh had a good influence on this caste. His campaign helped the JD-(U) to win the election.

Ankit Singh, the son of Mr Anant Singh, who had come to bring his father home, said, “I had full faith in the court that my father would come out of jail and we would get justice. In the house of God, there can be delays but not injustice. Today, truth has prevailed.”

After his disqualification, a by-election was held for the Mokama seat in November 2022 and Mr Singh's wife Neelam Devi had contested for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and won the election. However, in the trust vote when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left the RJD and formed a government with the BJP, Mrs Devi cast her vote for the NDA in February 2024. Ever since she voted for Mr Kumar, there was talk that sooner or later there would be a positive development.

In total, Mr. Anant Singh spent five years in prison.