Munna Bajrangi

Munna Bajrangi (Prem Prakash Singh; 1967 – July 9, 2018) was an Indian politician, a known contract killer and a gang leader from Eastern Uttar Pradesh. He was a name of fear in the Mirzapur, Jaunpur and Varanasi region. He was shot dead at the District Jail in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh on 9 July 2018.[3][4] He was shot ten times in the head within the jail premises by another prisoner, gangster Sunil Rathi.[5] His death came a week after his wife, Seema Singh, said in a press conference that he would be targeted.[1][6]

Munna Bajrangi
Munna at center
Born1967[1]
Died9 July 2018 (aged 51)
Baghpat jail, Uttar Pradesh
Cause of deathShot 10 times in the head inside jail by another inmate.
NationalityIndian
Other namesPrem Prakash Singh
OccupationPolitician, contract killer, gangster
Criminal charge(s)Murder, attempt to murder and extortion[2]
Spouse(s)Seema Singh
Children3

In the two decades that he was active, over 40 murders have been connected to him.[7] He is credited with introducing the use of AK-47s (Kalashnikov) in mafia wars in Uttar Pradesh.[8] He first used it in killing a 'block officer' and four accomplices in 1996 on orders from his guide Mukhtar Ansari.[8]

Since 2009, he was in jail for the gangland murder of MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2005 and another BJP leader Ramchandra Singh. For many years, he supported the Samajwadi Party headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, but the gang switched to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party in mid-2000s. He fought elections while imprisoned in Tihar jail under Apna Dal and Peace Party of India in 2012 as trial proceedings were going on.[9][10]

Criminal career

Munna Bajrangi was initially a carpet weaver. After a few independent killings, the first at the age of 17, he committed the first murder. he joined a gang in Uttar Pradesh led by Gajraj Singh.[8] In an atmosphere where the moves of criminals becoming politicians was pioneered by gangsters like Brijbhusan Sharan Singh, Raja Bhaiyya, DP Yadav and others, Bajrangi started his criminal career as a member of criminal-politician Mukhtar Ansari's gang.[11] In the early 1990s, under the governance of Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, criminals were flourishing in UP. In 1996, Mukhtar was elected from Mau, and the gang, with its arsenal of AK 56and other weapons, became a household name in the districts of Bhadohi Mau, Ghazipur, Varanasi and Jaunpur. The gangs made a living by garnering government contracts with political help.

They soon came into conflict with Brijesh Singh, another established ganglord who worked together with politician Krishnanand Rai of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In 2001, Brijesh Singh's gang ambushed the Mukhtar Ansari gang on the Mau-Lucknow highway; three people died from each mafia gang.

In the 2002 elections, Mukhtar's brother Afzal Ansari, who had won from Mohammadabad in five earlier elections, was defeated by Krishnanand Rai, a rival politician supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party.[12]

On the afternoon of November 2005, Rai was travelling with six aides when they were attacked by seven gangsters in a Tata Sumo. Bajrangi along with associates Firdaus, were Ata-ur-Rahman alias Babu, and Aijazul Haque were identified by some survivors.[13] CBI later identified Vishwas Nepali, Sanjeev Maheshwari, Rakesh Pandey and Ramu Mallah as the other members of the attacking team.[14] Over 400 bullets were fired from six AK-47 rifles, killing Rai and all others travelling in two Qualises. 67 bullets were recovered from seven bodies. A police officer called it the largest "display of firepower" in an Uttar Pradesh mafia battle.[11] Since then, Bajrangi was on the police's most wanted list.

In 2009, after announcing a cash reward of Rs.700,000, Bajrangi was arrested against from the Siddivinayak Residential Society in Mumbai's Malad area.[9] He had been living in the apartment under his real name, Prem Prakash Singh, along with his wife and three teenaged children since 2003.

In 2012, while imprisoned in Tihar jail with the trial proceeding ongoing,[15] Bajrangi fought in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Legislative elections from Mariyahu as a joint candidate of the Apna Dal and the Peace Party. He came in third, polling 12% behind winner Shraddha Yadav of Samajwadi Party.

Death

Late in the evening at around 9:30 pm, on Sunday 8 July 2018, Munna Bajrangi was shifted from Jhansi jail to Baghpat jail, as he was to be produced in court for an extortion case on Monday 9 July 2018. In the early hours of Monday, 9 July 2018, at around 5:30 am he was shot in the head inside the jail premises by an inmate, another gangster named Sunil Rathi.[6] Sunil Rathi alleged that he shot and killed Munna Bajrangi since the latter made comments over his appearance, calling him 'chubby'.[16]

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, reacted by ordering a judicial inquiry and suspending jail officials.[17][1]

See also

References
  1. "Gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead inside UP jail, four officials suspended. The Indian Express". The Indian Express. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  2. "Gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead in Uttar Pradesh jail, week after wife said he would be targeted. Hindustan Times".
  3. "Gangster Munna Bajrangi Shot Dead In UP Jail". NDTV.com. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  4. "Gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead in Baghpat jail - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  5. "Who was Munna Bajrangi? Dreaded gangster shot dead in cold blood; 10 bullets to head". The Financial Express. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  6. "Gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead in Uttar Pradesh jail, week after wife said he would be targeted". Hindustan Times. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  7. "40 murders in 2 decades: Who was Munna Bajrangi?". India Today. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  8. "Man who introduced Kalashnikov to UP gang wars - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ians (30 October 2009). "Gangster Munna Bajrangi confesses to killing 40 people". MSN news. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  10. "UP: Gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead inside Baghpat jail". Times of India. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  11. Alka Pande (19 December 2005). "A Slice Of Sicily : Guns for hire in dusty Poorvanchal". Outlook. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  12. Sanjay Singh (3 May 2007). "In Ansari's Mohammadabad, a fight for justice". Indian Express. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  13. http://elegalix.allahabadhighcourt.in/elegalix/WebShowJudgment.do
  14. Outlook Archived 2013-01-31 at Archive.today
  15. pti (7 March 2012). "Candidates with criminal records bite the dust in UP polls". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  16. "He called me chubby, that started fight: Don's killer". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  17. "Dreaded gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead inside Baghpat jail; several officials suspended". Zee News. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
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