Less than 24 hours of the issuance of Bihar government’s notification ordering the release of the former MP and a convict of murder of an IAS officer G Krishnaiah, Anand Mohan Singh, currently on parole and 26 others from the jails across the state, has created furor in social media as well as in the civil society.

On April 10, the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar had tweaked Bihar prison Manual of 2012. On April 24, the government issued notification releasing Anand Mohan Singh who was convicted in the murder of the then Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah (1985 batch) on December 5, 1994. He will soon be released from jail.

Though the Bihar State IAS Officers Association is keeping discreet silence on the issue, the 1985 batch all-India IAS officers’ association is in the process of taking up the issue with the Supreme Court, said Krishnaiah’s wife Uma who is teaching Chemistry in Hyderabad to a news channel.

In the meantime, IPS (Rtd) Bihar (1995 batch) Amitabh K Das has decided to file a PIL against the amendment in Bihar prison manual in Patna high court within a couple of days. “I am in consultation with my team of lawyers in the draft preparation which will be filed in the high court in a couple of days”, Das told The Statesman.

“In fact, it’s a job of Bihar IAS Officers’ Association to file a petition in the high court, but they are not doing anything in this regard,” Das said, adding it’s a matter of shame for all of us to do such things.

Talking to media, Krishnaiah’s wife Uma said: “I am pained to know about Bihar’s decision to release him from the jail. I am against this decision. In my opinion, he should remain in jail till his death.

Urging politicians not to encourage such ‘criminals’, she said they should think about the example they are setting for the public.

Krishnaiah’s daughter Padma, who was barely four years old when her father was killed, told the media that she was surprised to see the government’s decision to release him (the convict). Such criminals should be barred from politics. At least, remember those officers who have rendered their good services to a state like Bihar,” she said.

Social media in general and Twitter in particular is flooded with the reaction to the release of Anand Mohan Singh. Anubha Kumar, in her tweet, said, “Nitish Kumar said he will never compromise on corruption and crime. Now, he has compromised with both.”

Dr MA Ibrahimi, a political analyst said, “it would be difficult for government employees to control the sand and liquor mafia of the state.”

“This is really embarrassing for the people of Bihar who expect better leadership and guidance under the CM of Bihar,” Sikhar Singh tweeted.

 “Bihar will never change,” tweeted Ayush while Jim says, “hope CJI is seeing this news”.

 Within 10 hours of the issuance of the notification, both Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejshwi Prasad Yadav and several other cabinet colleagues were seen at the engagement party of the RJD MLA Chetan Anand elder son of Anand Mohan Singh at a palatial farm house located in the outskirts of Patna. Photographs of the CM and his deputy CM with Anand Mohan have gone viral in the digital media.

None of the major political parties, including the CPI-ML whose 12 MLAs are alliance partners in the government, did not react to the development.