
Hidden political agendas might explain the surrender of high profile bandits in Bihar, reports ANAND ST DAS
Giving up Bhagar Yadav surrenders in West Champaran
Photo: SN Sharma
SITTING IN the sprawling campus of his house at Sant Ghat in Bettiah town, Amar Yadav, 29, speaks in a confident tone. “My father’s return to the mainstream has silenced my political opponents. It would be easier for me to contest and win the upcoming elections,” says the son of Bhagar Yadav, one of Bihar’s most wanted bandits, who surrendered after eluding the police for three decades.
Bhagar’s surrender on May 8 is seen as the most important in a series of recent overtures by some of Bihar’s most notorious bandits, each carrying a hefty cash award on their head. Basudev Yadav alias Tiwari, another dreaded bandit virtually running a parallel government in many interior pockets of north Bihar, surrendered along with two of his accomplices before the SP of Bagaha on May 24. Bipin Issar alias Bipin Singh, another wanted bandit operating in Darbhanga district, had surrendered before the Darbhanga SP the previous day. Bhagar was wanted in 106 criminal cases — including murder, abduction, ransom and robberies. He carried a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head. Basudev Yadav of Bagha, wanted in about 100 criminal cases, had a prize of Rs 2 lakh on his head. Bipin was wanted in about 12 criminal cases.
But, even as the government claims that measures like relentless police operations and speedy delivery of justice through fast-track courts have forced the bandits to surrender, observers say the surrenders would hardly bring any major reduction in crime and that there are hidden political agendas behind several of them.
Bhagar Yadav, 55, ran his operations in north Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh districts, mainly along the Indo-Nepal border. His gang, the Jungle Party, had been killing, looting and abducting people for ransom for nearly three decades. Bhagar started out as a poor cattle-grazer and took to crime by committing a dacoity in 1977. He became notorious in 1984 when he gunned down the killers of his elder brother; the dreaded dacoit Lachhan Yadav. Later, he set up a bust of his slain elder brother in Balua Rampurwa village. Bhagar’s surrender before the West Champaran district SP KS Anupam had all the ingredients of a well-planned political rally. His son Amar had got a rostrum constructed and reportedly spent some Rs 40,000 for the decoration of the entire ceremony area in the Udaipur jungles near Bettiah town. Over half of the estimated 5,000 people who gathered to witness the surrender were political supporters of Amar. As per his wish, Bhagar was given about 10 plainclothes policemen for his security a couple of days before the surrender. And just as the fugitive had insisted, all these constables were Brahmins by caste.
The crowd was made to chant ‘Bhagar Yadav Zindabad’, and Bhagar was allowed to worship for three-hours at a Kali temple in front of his mistress Sunarpati Devi’s house. He later threw a feast for thousands of poor villagers who had gathered there. The police, in their eagerness to get the don to surrender, apparently succumbed to almost every condition Bhagar and his son placed on the table. There was no effort by the large police contingent to arrest several dreaded members of Bhagar’s gang who were present all through the ceremony. Many villagers said they were disappointed, as these gang members whom the police recognised very well, were “left free to become a Bhagar Yadav in their own capacity”.
Bhagar was also allowed to address the gathering. He publicly repeated his allegation that local MLA Baidyanath Mahto of the ruling JD(U), who lost his ministership in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet reshuffle in April, had been supplying firearms to the Sanjay Yadav gang. Bhagar and Sanjay Yadav have been rivals for about two decades. Mahto defeated Amar Yadav in two successive Assembly elections. Amar has remained zilla parishad chairman for five years and is now an elected member of the zilla parishad. His wife Renu Devi is a block chairman in Bettiah.
Many West Champaran residents believe Bhagar’s surrender was to further Amar’s political interests. Amar lost the last Assembly polls by a margin of just 4,300 votes.
“It was part of a secret deal between Bhagar and the Nitish government. Amar Yadav has good links with the RJD and has the support of RJD’s Bettiah MP Raghunath Jha, but there are chances he would get a JD(U) ticket to contest the next Assembly elections,” said a Bettiah resident close to Amar Yadav. Bhagar had managed to gain popularity among a section of the poor by helping girls from poor families get married.
Although much of the credit for weakening Bhagar’s gang goes to former Bettiah SP BS Meena, who was transferred in March, the surrender did not happen during his tenure. Sources said Meena did not agree to Bhagar’s demand for a grand surrender ceremony. “Meena got Bhagar ready to surrender, but did not agree to his demands even though the government gave the nod. This was one reason why Meena was shifted,” said a district official.
The fact that the bandit surrendered only a handful of arms and with only two gang members is giving people nightmares over the possibility that he might rule from behind the bars. Bhagar is still feared in West and East Champaran districts because nearly 20 of his gang members are still active in various areas and possess huge numbers of arms and weapons. He still owns over 100 acres of agricultural land that he captured from villagers and controls large tracts on both banks of the Gandak river. Sources said the bandit also owns several sugarcane crushing factories and has accumulated several crores of rupees, much of which he has lent to businessmen in both Bihar and Nepal.
THE BIHAR government’s policy on surrender of wanted criminals and Maoists has several rehabilitation incentives for the outlaws, but these are hardly publicised by the government. “Apart from an immediate release of Rs 10,000 for each surrendering outlaw, the rehabilitation package involves a grant of Rs 2 lakh. Still, it has been a proven an uphill task for the police to bring the gangsters around,” said IG (Operations) SK Bhardwaj. In most surrenders, there have been long delay in the release of the grant money and the rehabilitation package. Both Bhagar and Basudev, the 65-year-old dacoit who surrendered before Bagaha SP Vikas Baibhav in a grand ceremony, are yet to receive the entitlements.
While the recent surrenders have made big news because of the criminal history of some bandits, most of the criminal gangs operating in Bihar today seem uninterested in the surrender policy. According to official figures, only 13 bandits and 29 Maoists surrendered last year while only nine bandits and 19 Maoists have surrendered so far this year, even though some 30 gangs are reportedly operating in East and West Champaran districts alone.
“These surrenders, notwithstanding the controversies arising out of them, are a welcome change in Bihar,” says Dr Saibal Gupta of the Patna-based Asian Development Research Institute. Gupta felt that the surrenders reflect the success of the State as an independent social mediator. “But the process must continue till the last gang’s surrender, only then will it be a real success for Bihar.” •
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From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 24, Dated June 21, 2008