Bihar 'Bahubali' Anant Singh: The Untold Story Of Former MLA

Patna: A known name in Bihar politics, Anant Singh, who is also a former MLA, is famous as the Bahubali (strongman) in Bihar politics. His life has been full of dramatic twists and turns.

A known face in politics, he was was very much inclined towards spirituality, but one incident diverted his attention towards the path of violence.

Why Anant Singh wanted to become a monk?

Anant Singh was born on January 5, 1967, in Nadwan village near Barh in Patna district. He was the youngest one among his four brothers. Initially, he was not interested in studies and dropped out of school after the fourth grade. His inclination toward religion and spirituality grew stronger, and at the age of just nine, he left home for Haridwar.

According to media reports, he lived among monks there, serving them and spending his days immersed in prayer and devotion. However, his fascination with the ascetic life ended abruptly after witnessing a violent fight between monks one day. Shocked to see aggression in a place of renunciation, he became disillusioned and gave up his spiritual pursuits, returning to his village.

How his path got changed again? 

The was an event that completely changed the course of Anant Singh’s life. One afternoon, while he was eating, he received news that his elder brother, Birachi Singh, had been shot dead in his village.

At that time, Anant’s family used to be the prominent landlords in the area. During that period, Bihar saw intense clashes between Maoist groups and landlords. Investigations revealed that a Maoist leader was behind his brother’s murder. After this, Anant vowed to avenge his brother’s death.

When Anant decided to take revenge!

Author Rajesh Singh, in his book “Bahubalis of Indian Politics”, writes that Anant’s family advised him to trust the police. But when months passed without any action, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

After receiving a tip-off from an informer about his brother’s killer’s location, Anant set out to confront him. His companion warned that they had no weapons and the river ahead would be difficult to cross. But Anant decided to jump into the Ganga River and swam across.

After hours of swimming, he reached the forest where the killer was hiding. With no weapon, he picked up a stone, struck the man unconscious, and then crushed his head with a larger rock. Covered in blood, Anant swam back across the river to his village, Nadwan.

That act of revenge for his brother’s death became the first step that transformed a would-be monk into one of Bihar’s most feared strongmen.