The Dacoit, Rebel and the Politician: Malkhan Singh

The King of the Bandits, Malkhan Singh, was the name that struck terror in the hearts of many up until a few years ago. However, the dacoit-turned-politician now embodies a very different picture. His story is quite extraordinary and one that demonstrates that people do have the power to make a choice and change the course of their life.

Caption: Malkhan Singh | Image Source: Navbharat times

When one thinks about the Indian town of Chambal, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is the dacoits. It also becomes almost impossible to think about dacoits without remembering Chambal. This is because many popular dacoits including Phoolan Devi, Nirbhaya Singh Gujjar, etc have been raised there. Malkhan Singh is another such notorious dacoit who comes from this area. He went from being an ordinary person to a political representative in his local village to the leader of a bandit group to again, an ordinary person with an active interest in politics.

Malkhan Singh was born in the 1940s, and during his heyday, he was fearfully and popularly known as the Bandit King or the King of the Dacoits. This 6 feet tall, Khaki wearing youngster from Beehad village in Uttar Pradesh had a moustache that exceeded the size of his face and a reputation that preceded him.

When Malkhan Singh was 18 years old, he was selected to be one of the Panchs, i.e., one of the five members of governance in a Gram Panchayat, in his village, Bilao. He diligently carried out all his duties and spoke his truth. However, 7 years later, he got into a conflict with the Sarpanch of the village whom he accused of stealing the land kept for building a temple. When the Sarpanch refused these charges, he got Singh arrested and his friend killed.

This was the trigger that led Malkhan Singh to pick up weapons against the atrocities of upper-caste men. He declared himself an outlaw/ rebel and almost 20 people joined his cause. During this time, he was at the peak of his terror, and almost 100 people joined him. Every other day, one or the other person was killed at night and as the bloodshed became more, the glory of the gang rose. People used to shiver due to fear of the gang and the horror of their crimes moved beyond the area they functioned in. Singh himself, according to reports, had a reward of 70,000 rupees on his head, which translates to almost 6,50,000 rupees today. By 1982, police had registered 94 cases against the gang, including for dacoity (banditry), kidnapping and murder.

This gang was becoming a headache for the police officials as it became more difficult to catch them. However, a major plot twist came when Malkhan Singh, along with his gang, surrendered in 1982 after his reign as the “King of the dacoits” in the Chambal Ghati for 15 years. They did not take up rifles after that. Following this, the government immensely supported Singh's transition from a dacoit to an ordinary citizen. Owing to both their efforts, Malkhan Singh has low-key become a celebrity amongst the masses today.

Now in his 70s, he has actively pursued a career in politics, campaigning in recent years for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In an interview in 2019, Malkhan Singh stated, "I was not a dacoit. I was a 'baaghi' (rebel), who took up guns for self-honour and self-protection. I know who are real dacoits and also know how to deal with them.” Singh’s story explains that anything is possible and people can actually change, all that is needed is persistent efforts and a strong-willed heart.