Ashok Mahto gang

The Ashok Mahto gang was a criminal gang in the Indian state of Bihar, led by Ashok Mahto and consisted of members such as Pintu Mahto.

Ashok Mahto and his gang were responsible for the killing of a sitting Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Rajo Singh, in 2005.[1] Although Ashok Mahto was imprisoned, he escaped from Nawada jail in 2002.[2] Pintu Mahto killed three policemen during the prison break.[3]

Mahto - Singh rivalry

The rivalry between Mahto and another gangster Akhilesh Singh affected over 100 villages in the Nawada, Nalanda and Sheikhpura districts of Bihar.[4] Between 1998 and 2006, the war which claimed over 200 lives in Nawada district alone, stemmed from caste conflict between the Bhumihars and Koeris.[5] The clash between the two groups would decide power over the "stone-crushing" and "sand lifting" arrangements in the areas of rivalry.[6]

In 2003, the Mahto gang allegedly killed the father of a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Aruna Devi (wife of Akhilesh Singh), and five others, including a six-year-old boy. It was reported that the killings were in retaliation for the deaths of seven labourers allegedly by the Akhilesh Singh gang.[7] In 2000 they attacked the same MLA's house and killed over 12 people.[2]

Pintu Mahto

The Ashok Mahto gang consisted of gangsters such as Pintu Mahto, who had nearly thirty cases of murder and kidnapping to his name, including the murder of three policemen and Congress politician Rajo Singh. Pintu Mahto was responsible for the Ashok Mahto gang in areas of Nawada district such as Warisaliganj and Sheikhpura.[3][8]

Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Amit Lodha was posted in Sheikhpura during the time of the arrest of Pintu Mahto. In 2018 he penned a book Bihar Diaries that doesn't name anyone directly, but media reports match the story to the life of Pintu Mahto.[9]

References
  1. "Mahto keeps mum on allegation against Lalan and CM". Outlook India. Press Trust of India. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-04.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Balchand, K. (17 February 2003). "The Hindu : A revenge attack?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2004. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  3. "Ashok Mahto aide held in Deoghar". The Times of India. Times News Network. 9 July 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-04.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Mishra, Dipak (20 February 2003). "Singh-Mahto crossfire has affected 100 Bihar villages". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  5. Ramesh, P. R. (15 October 2015). "The Liberation Struggle of Bihar". Open Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-30.^ Bihar’s Koeris joined hands with their once-bitter enemies, the land-owning Bhumihars, a group of upper- castes with whom they has been engaged in battles in Nitish Kumar’s own Nalanda district (besides Nawada and Sheikhpura) under the leadership of Ashok Mahto.
  6. "Nitish's record gets beating". Hindustan Times. 23 May 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  7. "MLAs' kin among seven killed in Bihar gang war". Rediff. Press Trust of India. 16 February 2003. Archived from the original on 14 April 2005. Retrieved 2019-03-04.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. "Dreaded criminal killed in gang war". United News of India. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  9. IANS (14 July 2018). "Decorated top cop pens cat-and-mouse tale of nabbing Bihar's dreaded outlaw". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
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