Convicted of murder, photogenic gangster Akhilesh Singh was released on Thursday evening from Ghaghidih Central Jail on a legal technicality.
Garlanded by supporters, Akhilesh was taken home to Sidhgora amid strong buzz that he would be trying his luck in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
Akhilesh, now 38, is out of jail after May 2015, when he was convicted in the jailer Uma Shankar Pandey murder case and booked in Crime Control Act (CCA) by then East Singhbhum SSP Amol V. Homkar.
Akhilesh managed to get a stay on the provisions of the CCA from Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday. The CCA is imposed on criminals for a period of one year during which no bail application can be entertained by a district court.
However, some clearance formalities had to be done on Thursday as Akhilesh continues to be an undertrial in many other cases.
As he walked out of jail at 5.45pm to board a car in the presence of his supporters, current jailer Satyendra Kumar Chowdhury of Ghaghidih Central Jail said they all collectively heaved a sigh of relief.
"His archrival Upendra Singh, is now lodged in the same jail," the jailer said.
"We were under tremendous pressure ever since Upendra, arrested in the realtor Ram Shakal Yadav murder case, was lodged here. There was a persistent chance of a bloody clash between the two veterans and their loyalists in jail. Now, we are relieved that at least Akhilesh is not a matter of concern for this jail," Chowdhury added candidly.
Gang activities apart, Akhilesh and Upendra had locked horns politically as well.
Akhilesh had joined Sudesh Mahto's Ajsu Party a couple of years ago while Upendra was known as a JMM man who had unsuccessfully taken on BJP's Saryu Roy in Jamshedpur West in Jharkhand Assembly polls last December.
Now, it is a matter of speculation as to what Akhilesh will do next, though grapevine has it that he is eyeing opportunities in Bihar.
Son of Chandragupt Singh, a retired police officer and ex-general secretary of Jhakhand Police Association, Akhilesh stepped into the world of crime by abducting and killing lubricant dealer Om Prakash Kabra on July 21, 2001. He never looked back.
