In the prime of his youth, he ruled the Chambal valley wielding his gun and killing over 100 people. Today, he chants the mantra of peace wherever he goes.
Interacting with mediapersons in Mysuru on Tuesday, Pancham Singh, who “thinks” he is 96 years old, related how he plunged into dacoity. There was a panchayat election in Bhind district in 1958, where he was badly beaten up by the local landlord who was supporting a party. He was arrested by the police and thrashed again for no fault of his. “With a few other youths, we walked into the Chambal ravines to escape from the brutality of the system,” he said. “We returned to the village, shot dead about 10 people, and this is how I became a dacoit.”
It was socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan who brought about his reformation. In 1972, Mr. Singh and his gang surrendered and received life sentences for the crimes committed. On completion of eight years of prison term, he was released on the grounds of good behaviour. He took to social work, donated his home to an institution, and pledged to work for peace. “I regret what I did. On my release, I visited the family of each person I killed and sought forgiveness,” he said. Even as dacoits living in the jungles, their motto was to rob the rich to feed the poor.
This Robin Hood had local support and built temples, a school, besides sharing the spoils of the loot with the poor and getting women married.
Having discovered peace through Brahmakumaris Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya, he promotes non-violence.
“Dacoits like me lived in jungles, but modern dacoits live in the concrete jungles,” quipped Mr. Singh.
‘Tried to get Veerappan to surrender’
When the State governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were hunting for Veerappan in the jungles of south India in the 1990s, reformed dacoit Pancham Singh made efforts to mediate for the brigand’s surrender. Claiming to have met Veerappan at a politician’s house, Mr. Singh said the former had agreed to surrender provided the terms and conditions were similar to the surrender of dacoits and their rehabilitation after serving the jail period. “One of Veerappan’s henchmen brought a message to me during my visit to Tamil Nadu in the ‘90s and arranged for a meeting. I carried the message to the government and the President, but there was no response, and in the years that followed Veerappan too was killed,” said Mr. Singh, who also claimed that he had worked to secure the surrender of Phoolan Devi.
