Anant Kumar Singh Age, Caste, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Anant Kumar Singh

• Anant Kumar Singh is an Indian don-turned-politician who was elected as MLA from Mokama four times, in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. He was a member of the Janata Dal (United) party at the beginning and joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 2020. Well known as Chote Sarkar, Singh was charged with 38 criminal charges according to his 2020 election affidavit.

• Singh’s father, Chandradeep Singh, was a supporter of communists.

• In an interview, Singh revealed that he used to catch snakes in his village as a kid. He also said that he lived with Sadhus in Haridwar and Ayodhya as a child to reach a higher consciousness. ^[25]Open Magazine

• One the Singh’s local legends in Mokama include how he swam across the lake to kill the murderers of his eldest brother, Birachi Singh. Sympathizers of the Naxalite rebels, who were carrying out targeted assassinations of upper-caste landlords, killed Birachi before taking refuge on a boat in the middle of the Ganges. Anant supposedly tracked his brother’s killer for months to avenge. When he learnt about their location, he swam across the river and murdered the men. Anant was 28 at that time. Such transgressions made him notorious in the area, and he started rising to prominence.

• Anant’s brother Fajo Singh was gunned down by his archrival Viveka Pahalwan.

• For years, the legal cases against Anant have been neglected, and during this period, judges have passed away, law enforcement officials have been reassigned, and evidence has disappeared.

• Anant became a popular figure in politics because of his older brother, Dilip, who became a leader of the Bhumihar gang in the Barh region in Bihar during the mid-1980s.
  

  A picture of Anant Kumar Singh

  The Barh region is notorious for its serious caste conflicts, particularly between two Forward Castes of Bihar, the Bhumihars and Rajputs. People in the area are afraid of being kidnapped or harmed to such an extent that they avoid going out at night. In these conflicts, Anant and Dilip emerged as a saviour for their community. Dilip Singh used to raise horses in Nadwan village, located in the Barh region. However, his desire for money led him down a different path, and he got involved in extortion. He soon became closely associated with Kamdev Singh, a smuggler in central Bihar. Additionally, Dilip Singh would also engage in booth capturing for Shyam Sundar Singh ‘Dheeraj,’ who was the Congress MLA from Mokama from 1980 to 1990. Sundar Singh gained power in the area with the support of his gang members. Once Dilip visited Sundar Singh at his government residence in Patna, where the latter insulted Dilip by calling him a disreputable man. He asked Dilip to visit him secretly at night instead of in broad daylight. Irked over the incident, Dilip muscle power to gain political power to win the Mokama seat in 1990 on Janata Dal’s ticket.  Later, Lalu Prasad Yadav made him a minister in his regime. Dilip Singh came to be known as Bhara Sarkar in the region. ^[26]The Times of India Mokama was represented by Dilip till 2000 when another muscleman-turned-politician Surajbhan Singh contested from the constituency and won. Anant, who initially worked as Dilip’s assistant in criminal activities, took control of the family’s political affairs after Dilip’s death.

• Singh’s life took an unexpected turn when Nitish Kumar decided to support him as the candidate of the Janata Dal (United) from the Mokama constituency in 2005.
  

  Nitish Kumar (right) greeting Anant Kumar Singh (left) with folded hands

  Some people found this decision confusing because Kumar had promised to end the influence of criminals in politics in Bihar, and yet he was endorsing someone facing serious criminal charges. Despite the criticism, Singh won the Mokama seat with the help of his fellow Bhumihars and the overall support from Nitish Kumar.

• During interviews in the Mokama region to understand why voters chose Anant Singh, it was discovered that people were well aware of his criminal activities but still believed he could protect their interests. In a society divided by caste and land, some saw Singh’s unlawful behaviour as a sign of reliability and trustworthiness.
  

  A hoarding in Mokama said that Anant Singh won’t tolerate any atrocities against women

• In 2005, Singh had declared a paltry Rs 3.40 lakh in his election affidavit, which by 2010 had risen to Rs 38.84 lakh.

• In 2007, Singh gained national attention when he kept two journalists from NDTV 24×7 and ANI News as hostages at his Mall Road residence. The journalists had visited him for an interview about his alleged involvement in the murder and molestation of a woman named Reshma Khatoon, whose body was discovered in a sack in Patna.

• On 24 June 2015, he was arrested in the kidnapping and murder case of Putus Yadav. He remained imprisoned for 22 months after which he was released on bail in April 2017.
  

  Anant Kumar Singh walking out of a police van

• On 2 September 2015, Singh left the JD(U) after a disagreement with leader Nitish Kumar, who had formed an alliance with the RJD.

• Subsequently, he ran as an independent candidate in the 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election and won the Mokama assembly seat by defeating LJP candidate Kanhaiya Singh with a margin of 38,533 votes. During that period, Singh was in Beur Central Jail due to his involvement in the kidnapping and murder case of four youths. In March 2016, about four-and-a-half months after winning the reelection from the Mokama seat, Singh took the oath of membership in the Bihar legislative assembly. However, right after the oath ceremony, the police took him back to Beur Central Jail. Before this, the three-time MLA had never taken the oath inside the House and had always chosen to be sworn in at the Speaker’s chamber. But this time, he chose to take the oath inside the House.

• In 2020, he joined Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).  RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav once referred to Singh as an “anti-social element.” In 2015, it was RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who demanded Singh’s arrest in connection with the kidnapping and murder case of Putus Yadav. Despite these criticisms and calls for action, Singh was selected as an RJD candidate to contest the 2020 Bihar legislative assembly election from Mokama.
  

  The jailed Anant Singh, who came in a prison van, files his nomination papers on an RJD ticket for the Mokama Assembly seat in October 2020

•  In 2022, the Mokama seat fell vacant following the disqualification of RJD MLA Anant Singh after his conviction in the Arms Act case. In the same year, Anant’s wife, Neelam Devi, won the Mokama assembly by-poll on RJD’s ticket.

• He is a chain smoker. ^[27]Open Magazine

• An avid animal lover, Singh owns various horses, a pet elephant named Purvi, and reportedly a python. ^[28]India Today ^[29]Open Magazine
  

  A picture of Anant Kumar Singh with his elephant

• While legislators in Bihar prefer to showcase their luxurious SUVs, Anant Singh chose to make a unique statement by giving up his swanky Mercedes car and instead opting to ride a horse-drawn carriage to the state Assembly premises. He explained that his love for animals, especially horses, motivated him to own and use the buggy.
  

  Anant Singh on his horse-buggy riding to Assembly premises in Bihar