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Terror king of Chambal
Report By: Brij Mohan DuggalProgramme: Special CorrespondentTelecast: Saturday, Sept 13 (9.30 pm), Repeat Telecast- Thursday, Sept 18 (4.30 pm)
Report By: Brij Mohan Duggal
Programme: Special Correspondent
Telecast: Saturday, Sept 13 (9.30 pm), Repeat Telecast- Thursday, Sept 18 (4.30 pm) In the ravines of Chambal in Madhya Pradesh in central India, bandits have ruled the roost for decades. The wild expanse, in itself, speaks of the uncanny nature of the place. Scattered sand hillocks, impenetrable narrow paths through the woods, invincible thicket and unremitting change of watchmen mark the place. It is due to this impregnable geographical location that the area has remained beyond the reach of commoners as well as police. And all this works to the advantage of the bandits in the area. For centuries, this forest has proved to be a safe haven for infamous dacoits like Man Singh, Lakhan Singh, Mohar Singh, Malkhan Singh and Madho Singh. Although the bandit menace has reduced in the last few years, it will probably take years to weed it out completely. The name that personifies terror in these ravines today is `Nirbhay Singh Gujjar`. Nirbhay, which means `fearless`, is a fitting name for this robust man around 5ft 8in tall. He lives with his wife Neelam, adopted son Shyam and daughter-in-law Sarla besides 100-odd gang members in the interiors of Chambal, constantly evading the security forces for the past quarter of a century.
Nirbhay considers himself the king of the jungle and rules his kingdom with an iron hand. That probably explains his penchant for wearing the outfit of an IPS officer with the Ashok Chakra embedded on the shoulder. This gesture itself says a lot about his fear psychosis. Despite the fact that he leads the police on endless chases, he considers the police far superior and the uniform, the symbol of superiority. Probing deeper into his life reveals the reason for taking up this profession, along with many interesting facts. He became a dacoit as he always had a great fascination for rebels and their rebellious deeds. Today he heads a large gang, involved mainly in abductions for extortion, besides the tradition of robbery. Needless to say, the biggest portion (nearly 70%) of the booty accounts for his share. His lifestyle is characteristic of that of any other bandit ... excessive drinking, gambling, good food and terrifying hostages form a part of his daily routine. However, the most unusual factor about Nirbhay`s gang are the two girls among the members. Neelam, around 17-18 years old is Nirbhay`s wife and Sarla, 15 is his daughter-in-law. Both the girls have a defiant and hardened look on their faces and appear not in the least bit sorry to be a part of the gang. On the other hand, they are fully trained in the use of rifles and other weapons. They also perform all the domestic chores of the gang, including supervising the food preparation. And should the question arise, Nirbhay did not abduct Neelam to cohabit with him. She came of her own choice. In typically filmy style, she reveals that she came to join the gang of her own will, even against her family’s wishes, entirely for the simple reason that the choice was hers. She made her `choice` thanks to a number of movies with fancy dialogues. Shooting guns fascinated her. This is what she came here to do - shoot. She is fully convinced that she made the right choice and never fails to justify it to the world. The second girl, Sarla, is not as vocal but the stern expression on her face is unmistakable. She was picked at random by Nirbhay for his adopted son Shyam. Given in to the terror tactics, her father could not refuse and sent the girl with Nirbhay. At an age when other girls are engaged in playing with dolls, Sarla has already learnt to manouevre guns. All she wants to do is kill her `enemies` although she hasn’t a clue as to who these `enemies` might be. She carries a reward of Rs 5,000 on her head. Coming back to Nirbhay, he appears to be tiring of this cat-and-mouse chase and would like to surrender now but on his own terms. At the same time, he is confident that the police can never catch him. He says that the whole area protects him and people have given him refuge. His list of demands is long... 1) Nirbhay`s son, Shyam, and daughter-in-law, Sarla, be spared from the clutches of the law. Instead all the charges against them should be transferred to Nirbhay Singh. 2) All the aides who surrender with Nirbhay be given jobs with licensed guns. 3) A bridge be built on Sahson bank in Nirbhay`s territory. 4) A degree college and a medical college be built in his territory for which half the expenditure will be borne by Nirbhay. Whether the police can nab him or not, remains an unanswered question. In fact, the reason why police could not catch him till date, is in itself a question waiting for a reply. If only the government and administration could give suitable answers, the golden era of eighties (when scores of bandits surrendered together) could make a comeback. Lest it be forgotten, Nirbhay wants to walk in the footsteps of his predecessors like Phoolan Devi and join politics after he surrenders. Unrequited dreams... Are they?
Programme: Special Correspondent
Telecast: Saturday, Sept 13 (9.30 pm), Repeat Telecast- Thursday, Sept 18 (4.30 pm) In the ravines of Chambal in Madhya Pradesh in central India, bandits have ruled the roost for decades. The wild expanse, in itself, speaks of the uncanny nature of the place. Scattered sand hillocks, impenetrable narrow paths through the woods, invincible thicket and unremitting change of watchmen mark the place. It is due to this impregnable geographical location that the area has remained beyond the reach of commoners as well as police. And all this works to the advantage of the bandits in the area. For centuries, this forest has proved to be a safe haven for infamous dacoits like Man Singh, Lakhan Singh, Mohar Singh, Malkhan Singh and Madho Singh. Although the bandit menace has reduced in the last few years, it will probably take years to weed it out completely. The name that personifies terror in these ravines today is `Nirbhay Singh Gujjar`. Nirbhay, which means `fearless`, is a fitting name for this robust man around 5ft 8in tall. He lives with his wife Neelam, adopted son Shyam and daughter-in-law Sarla besides 100-odd gang members in the interiors of Chambal, constantly evading the security forces for the past quarter of a century.
Nirbhay considers himself the king of the jungle and rules his kingdom with an iron hand. That probably explains his penchant for wearing the outfit of an IPS officer with the Ashok Chakra embedded on the shoulder. This gesture itself says a lot about his fear psychosis. Despite the fact that he leads the police on endless chases, he considers the police far superior and the uniform, the symbol of superiority. Probing deeper into his life reveals the reason for taking up this profession, along with many interesting facts. He became a dacoit as he always had a great fascination for rebels and their rebellious deeds. Today he heads a large gang, involved mainly in abductions for extortion, besides the tradition of robbery. Needless to say, the biggest portion (nearly 70%) of the booty accounts for his share. His lifestyle is characteristic of that of any other bandit ... excessive drinking, gambling, good food and terrifying hostages form a part of his daily routine. However, the most unusual factor about Nirbhay`s gang are the two girls among the members. Neelam, around 17-18 years old is Nirbhay`s wife and Sarla, 15 is his daughter-in-law. Both the girls have a defiant and hardened look on their faces and appear not in the least bit sorry to be a part of the gang. On the other hand, they are fully trained in the use of rifles and other weapons. They also perform all the domestic chores of the gang, including supervising the food preparation. And should the question arise, Nirbhay did not abduct Neelam to cohabit with him. She came of her own choice. In typically filmy style, she reveals that she came to join the gang of her own will, even against her family’s wishes, entirely for the simple reason that the choice was hers. She made her `choice` thanks to a number of movies with fancy dialogues. Shooting guns fascinated her. This is what she came here to do - shoot. She is fully convinced that she made the right choice and never fails to justify it to the world. The second girl, Sarla, is not as vocal but the stern expression on her face is unmistakable. She was picked at random by Nirbhay for his adopted son Shyam. Given in to the terror tactics, her father could not refuse and sent the girl with Nirbhay. At an age when other girls are engaged in playing with dolls, Sarla has already learnt to manouevre guns. All she wants to do is kill her `enemies` although she hasn’t a clue as to who these `enemies` might be. She carries a reward of Rs 5,000 on her head. Coming back to Nirbhay, he appears to be tiring of this cat-and-mouse chase and would like to surrender now but on his own terms. At the same time, he is confident that the police can never catch him. He says that the whole area protects him and people have given him refuge. His list of demands is long... 1) Nirbhay`s son, Shyam, and daughter-in-law, Sarla, be spared from the clutches of the law. Instead all the charges against them should be transferred to Nirbhay Singh. 2) All the aides who surrender with Nirbhay be given jobs with licensed guns. 3) A bridge be built on Sahson bank in Nirbhay`s territory. 4) A degree college and a medical college be built in his territory for which half the expenditure will be borne by Nirbhay. Whether the police can nab him or not, remains an unanswered question. In fact, the reason why police could not catch him till date, is in itself a question waiting for a reply. If only the government and administration could give suitable answers, the golden era of eighties (when scores of bandits surrendered together) could make a comeback. Lest it be forgotten, Nirbhay wants to walk in the footsteps of his predecessors like Phoolan Devi and join politics after he surrenders. Unrequited dreams... Are they?