The guns have fallen silent and the shadow of fear is gradually receding.
Dreaded dacoits have been eliminated and the fear of the bullet has evaporated, particularly in the Bundelkhand region.
“On the eve of elections, these dacoits would send their emissaries, asking us to vote for a particular party or candidate and if, by chance, that party or candidate lost the elections, the entire village would have to pay the price. We were never allowed to exercise our choice in elections. But now — since all major dacoits have been eliminated — we can breathe freely and exercise our franchise without fear,” says Radhey Singh, a primary school teacher in a village near Tindwari.
Dreaded dacoit Dadua a.k.a. Shiv Kumar Patel, who was a dominant figure in the badlands of Bundelkhand, held sway over Kurmi votes in the region and candidates who wished to contest the elections, had to seek his blessings before entering the fray. Those who defied were not allowed to campaign.
“In those days, every legislator from Bundelkhand had to mark his attendance in Dadua’s court and those who were blessed by him got an easy victory. As a result of this Dadua, developed his own political clout and his business (murder, abduction and extortion) flourished. Gradually, he started bringing his family into mainstream politics and hoped to join in himself one day,” says K.A. Kidwai, a local journalist.
Dadua’s brother Bal Kumar is a Samajwadi Party MP and his son Veer Kumar is the Samajwadi candidate from Patti in Pratapgarh.
Dadua, however, was shot dead in an encounter in 2007.
Another dacoit who followed in Dadua’s footsteps was Thokia a.k.a. Ambika Prasad Patel, who was killed in 2008. Thokia’s political ambitions had started growing and he was keen to contest the 2009 Lok Sabha polls but was killed before that.
“He had started intimidating people during elections and demanding money from candidates. He wanted to follow in Phoolan Devi’s footsteps and reach Parliament,” says a senior police officer.
Nirbhay Gujjar, shot dead in 2005, was one of the most media-savvy dacoit in post-Independence era. He would invite television channels into the ravines and give detailed interviews.