A body representing Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers in Madhya Pradesh on Friday expressed deep concern and anguish over the release of gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan, who was serving a life sentence for killing an IAS officer in Bihar three decades ago.

Mohan, a former MP, was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday after being behind the bars for 15 years for the murder of G Krishnaiah, the then district magistrate of Gopalganj, who was beaten to death by a mob in Muzaffarpur district in 1994.

Mohan's name figured in a list of more than 20 prisoners who were ordered to be set free by a notification issued by the Bihar government’s law department earlier this week. His remission of sentence followed an amendment of Bihar Prison Manual, whereby the restriction on early release of those involved in killing of a public servant on duty was done away with.

“The above decision will adversely affect the morale and fortitude of each and every public servant,” the association's secretary Vivek Porwal told PTI on Friday.

The association unanimously disapproves of this decision and urges the concerned state government to reconsider it, he said.

A local court in October 2007 had initially sentenced Mohan to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life term by the Patna High court in December, 2008, when he appealed against the lower court verdict.

The Bihar government has drawn flak from the opposition BJP for its decision. BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi has accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of sacrificing law to stay on in power with support from ally RJD.

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