G. Krishnaiah (1957-1994) was an Indian Administrative Service officer of Bihar cadre 1985. He was killed in December 1994 in Bihar by a mob. G. Krishnaiah made headlines in April 2023 after the Bihar government made amendments in the Bihar Police Jail Manual 2012, which led to the release of Anand Mohan Singh, a politician, who was convicted by a court of law for Krishnaiah’s murder in 2007.
Wiki/Biography
G. Krishnaiah was born on Friday, 8 February 1957 (age 37 years; at death) in Byrapuram village, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. After completing his schooling, Krishnaiah enrolled at the Maharani Adi Lakshmi Devamma Government Arts and Science Degree College (MALD) in Gadwal, Telangana, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in botanical science and obtained a first division. After that, he enrolled at the Osmania University in Hyderabad, where he obtained a master of arts degree in English literature with a second division.
Old photo of G. Krishnaiah
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Family & Caste
G. Krishnaiah was born in a Telugu speaking lower middle class family belonging to the Dalit (Scheduled Caste) community in Andhra Pradesh.
Parents & Siblings
His father, G Seshanna, worked as a porter. He died in 1991. His mother, Venkamma (deceased), was a housewife. His brother’s name is Ayyanna Krishnaiah.
Wife & Children
His wife, Uma Krishnaiah, is a teacher. He married her after completing his training at LBSNAA in 1986. His eldest daughter, Niharika Krishnaiah, is a banker. His daughter, Padma Krishnaiah, is a software engineer.
Uma Krishnaiah, wife of G. Krishnaiah
Padma’s photo
Relationships/Affairs
G. Krishnaiah first met Uma when they were both studying at the Maharani Adi Lakshmi Devamma Government College of Arts and Sciences (MALD) in Gadwal.
G. Krishnaiah with Uma Krishnaiah
Career
Early Struggle
G. Krishnaiah used to work as a porter with his father at a railway station in Andhra Pradesh to support his family financially. Despite financial constraints, he continued his education by working as a daily wage laborer during the day and attending school in the evening. According to G. Krishnaiah, he financed his own education and never asked a single penny from his parents. After completing his formal education, he began working as a clerk in a government office. After that, he left his job to pursue a career in journalism and worked with many local newspapers in Andhra Pradesh. Later, he left journalism and took a job as an English lecturer at a college. While serving as a teacher, G. Krishnaiah started preparing for the Civil Services Examination held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). In 1985, he appeared for the UPSC examination and cleared it in his first attempt. In an interview, a friend of Krishnaiah said that Krishnaiah chose the Bihar cadre because he was moved by the condition of people living in backward areas and wanted to help them.
IAS
G. Krishnaiah joined the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in 1985 in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, where he completed his administrative training in 1987. His first post was in West Champaran, where he worked as an assistant collector. There, he assisted the state government in implementing various land reform acts. According to several sources, Krishnaiah received life threats from the land mafia who opposed the implementation of the act. Despite the obstacles created by the mafia, he worked to uplift the poor and became a popular figure in West Champaran. After that, he was sent to Nalanda district as an assistant collector. Later, he was sent to Hazaribagh, where he held the position of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). After that, he went to Bettiah, where he served as a District Magistrate (DM). On September 1, 1987, he was placed in the Department of Land Revenue Management & District Administration as an assistant collector. Later, he was promoted and made an Additional District Magistrate (ADM) in the same department; he remained in that position till 1 August 1989. From 1 August 1989 to 1 December 1989, he served in the Ministry of Home Affairs of the government of Bihar as joint secretary. On 1 December 1989, he was appointed as Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) in the Department of Land Revenue Management & District Administration, a position he held until 1 April 1992.
Photo of G. Krishnaiah taken while he was giving a speech in Bihar during an event
He served as District Magistrate (DM) in the Department of Land Revenue Management & District Administration in Saharsa district from 1 April 1992 to 1 December 1994. Later, Krishnaiah was transferred to Gopalganj as District Magistrate (DM).
Death
On December 5, 1994, G. Krishnaiah was on his way to Gopalganj from Hajipur after attending a meeting when his vehicle was stopped by a group of people near the Muzaffarpur highway. The mob, which was attending the funeral procession of dreaded gangster and BPP member Chottan Shukla started pelting stones at Krishnaiah’s car and dragged Krishnaiah’s armed men out of the car. When Krishnaiah stepped out of his vehicle to pacify the mob, he was dragged and beaten mercilessly by them. Krishanaiah was killed by Chottan’s brother Bhutkun Shukla after he shot the IAS officer three times in the head. While giving an interview, his driver, Deepak, recounted the horrific incident and said,
We were returning from Hajipur in 1994 after a meeting when a violent juloo (mob) attacked us. The crowd first pulled out Mr. Krishnaiah’s bodyguard from the ambassador. I didn’t stop the car and tried to speed past the crowd. But Mr. asked me to stop the car because he wanted to save the bodyguard who was left behind. As soon as I stopped the car, people attacked us. They beat me so badly that I became hearing impaired. That was the last time I saw G Krishnaiah sir. I managed to run for my life. After some time, when I returned, I saw the master lying lifeless in the pit. We took him to the hospital later.”
Photo of the village where G. Krishnaiah was killed
The end
After Krishnaiah was killed, the Bihar government ordered the police to start an investigation into the matter following which the police registered a case against Anand Mohan Singh and his wife Lovely Anand. Later, the police presented graphic video evidence in the Patna District Court where Anand and Lovely were seen inciting people to riot against the then Muzaffarpur DM and SP during Chottan Shukla’s funeral procession. On 3 October 2007, the district court delivered its judgment in which it sentenced Anand to death after which he was sent to Beur Central Jail from where he was later transferred to Bhagalpur Central Jail. In 2008, Anand appealed against the district court’s decision in the Patna High Court (PHC) and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Anand Mohan’s photo was taken after he was arrested
In 2012, Anand appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking a reduced prison sentence; however, the supreme court overturned his plea. In the same year, the Bihar Government filed litigation against the Patna High Court decision in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the PHC and refused to overrule the judgment given by the PHC earlier. In April 2023, the Bihar legislature made several amendments to the Bihar Police Jail Manual 2012 following the state government’s Law Department issuing a notification to the jail authorities on 24 April 2023 informing them of the early release of Anand Mohan Singh and 26 others. convicts, serving life imprisonment in different jails across Bihar, on April 27, 2023. The notification stated,
Based on the Bihar state amnesty council meeting on April 20, 2023, a decision has been taken for the release of prisoners who have served an actual sentence of 14 years or a sentence of 20 years with remission.”
Following the notification, the Bihar government received heavy criticism from many politicians including BSP chief Mayawati who, in her statement, said,
In all my career I have never experienced such a change in a prison manual; this is unprecedented, not only in Bihar but in India as well. I will challenge the amendment in the Patna High Court through a PIL, my lawyer has already drafted the petition. I tried to convince Ms. Uma Krishnaiah, widow of G. Krishnaiah to file a PIL against the amendment but she was threatened by Anand Mohan’s group and she refused to come to Bihar. Anand Mohan should go back to Saharsa jail. Any amendment should be in the public interest and not for any individual. He is not Nelson Mandela. Anand Mohan had committed a cold-blooded murder of a serving IAS officer. To save a murderer, Nitish Kumar amended the mala fide rules. It won’t happen in court.”
Following the issuance of the order, the slain IAS officer’s wife Uma urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter. The IAS association also wrote to Nitish Kumar asking him to suspend the order. The association in its statement said that it is in touch with G. Krishnaiah’s family to explore legal options to render the Bihar government’s order null and void. While giving an interview, Uma said,
Nitish Kumar set a terrible precedent by acquitting someone convicted of murder. It will encourage criminals to attack government officials because they know they can get out of jail easily. For just a few Rajput votes, he had taken a decision that had many consequences for the common people. The Rajput community should think about this – whether they want criminals like Anand Mohan to represent them in politics.”
Facts/Trivia
- After the death of G. Krishaniah, a statue was erected by the Bihar government in his memory at the collectorate of Gopalganj.
A statue of G. Krishnaiah erected by the Government of Bihar at the collectorate of Gopalpur
- As his family had no money, G. Krishnaiah was sent to live in a community hostel when he was a child.
- While giving an interview, IPS officer G. Krishnaiah’s friend Abhayanand said that Krishnaiah used to avoid eating with influential personalities because he believed that eating at someone’s house would bind him to listen to them.
- G. Krishnaiah is a polyglot. He is fluent in Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada.
- He is passionate about his hobby of reading. According to his relative, Krishnaiah had a room full of books.
- G. Krishnaiah was greatly inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
