(From top) Mohammed Sahabuddin, Pappu Yadav and Sunil Pandey

Patna, June 29: The erstwhile dons of Bihar are in news again, albeit for different reasons — a desperate attempt to shake off the Bahubali tag and bagging PhDs on diverse subjects such as ahimsa (non-violence).

So when a team of the Patna police, led by City superintendent of police (SP) Shivdeep Lande, raided the “lavish” cell of former MP Pappu Yadav at Beur Central Jail on June 24, the cops came across Pappu boasting about writing a book Sau Joote Maar Lo Par Bahubali Mat Kaho.

The title might sound “funny”, but the former politician is very serious about completing the book. “There was just one paragraph written. He boasted about completing the book soon,” the City SP said. Pappu, convicted and serving a life sentence for the murder of CPM leader Ajit Sarkar is “known” to be a graduate from his affidavit filed for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections shows him as an Intermediate passout. During Anna Hazare’s recent satyagraha against corruption, Pappu showed solidarity with the cause by going on a fast-unto-death at the jail.

But it is just not about Pappu only. The state has seen quite a few politician-criminals who have tried leaning towards academics, something which both the police and academicians term a publicity gimmick.

In 2008, Narendra Kumar Pandey, alias Sunil Pandey, the JD(U) MLA from Tarari constituency in Bhojpur, lodged in Sasaram jail for around three years in connection with masterminding the abduction of a noted doctor in Patna, acquired a doctorate degree and that too in ahimsa from Veer Kuer Singh University, Ara. He was awarded PhD for his research on “Mahavir ke updesh adhunik paripeksha mein” (Mahavir’s teachings in modern context). Pandey was involved in as many as 30 murder and kidnapping cases. Known to be a first-class MA graduate in history from SB College, Ara, Pandey completed his PhD from behind bars.

Mohammed Sahabuddin, the so-called Robin Hood of Siwan, presently lodged in prison for several criminal incidents, had also procured his PhD in political science from Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, in 2005. Police officers have always maintained the fact that the former MLA got his degree at gunpoint. “All these are just publicity gimmicks. They just want to be in the big picture always,” a senior police officer said.

Kartik Jha, a senior professor of psychology in Patna University agreed to the viewpoint. “This is nothing new for high-profile criminals and politicians lodged in jail. Even Nathuram Godse wrote a book Maine Gandhi Ko Kyon Maara, which was banned by the government. There could be some specific reasons to this. One of them could be a simple political stunt and the other that they never want their political career to end.” He added that there was a business angle to it too.

“A book by Pappu or Shahabuddin is sure to attract readers,” he said.