LUCKNOW: Daku Man Singh was one fugitive whose name is often used as a sobriquet to express valour. A bandit who ruled the broken terrains and ravines of Chambal for decades, Daku Man Singh lived the life of nothing less than a 'king' and is even remembered as ‘Raja’ by the people. He had a vast domain and his writ ran unchallenged across central India – six district of UP and five districts of MP and parts of Rajasthan-- from pre- to post-independence era.
Man Singh is revered as God in a number of villages in Agra and adjoining districts. The level of respect the ‘baagi’ (rebel) had commanded can be gauged by the fact that there is a temple of Daku Man
Singh in village Kheda Rathore under Bah tehsil in Agra district.
The dacoit chieftain, who was a fugitive by circumstances, went into the annals of history of outlaws as the ‘Robin Hood’ who is highly revered by people even after 63 years of his killing in police
encounter.
With his and his wife Rukmani Devi’s idols present as deity in the temple, people of Kheda Rathore village worship him regularly and offer him bhog on a daily basis. On his birth and death anniversaries,
a number of programmes are organised by the villagers and poor are fed.
Dominated by upper caste Thakurs, Kheda Rathore village produced many dacoits. The temple of Daku Man Singh came up in 1984. As per the legend, Man Singh picked up the gun against his tormentors who had grabbed his land and he could not get it back even after repeated efforts. This led him to embark upon a journey into the dark world of crime, dacoity, loot and murders in 1939.
It is said that Man Singh had formed his gang with his 17 accomplices, majority of whom were his kin. In later years his brothers and nephews also joined his gang. After Man Singh’s killing in 1955, Roop Narain, a Brahmin and close confidante of Man Singh, took over the reins of his gang and expanded it further.
There is a temple of Roop Narain also in the same village. People in and around the Chambal Valley walk long distances just to bow before these marble busts in the temple and seek their blessings. Both Roopa and Man Singh were born in Kheda Rathor village and their descendants are living here. They plundered the rich at will and kidnapped for ransom. Villagers, however, heap praise on them for
virtues like morality, valour and courage.
Profile
Man Singh was born in 1890 in a Kshatriya family in Kheda Rathore village in southern Agra. His descendents claim that while being ruthless, Man Singh was a GGod-fearingman. At one point of time, Chambal valley used to be identified with the name of Man Singh.
As per the official data, till the time of his elimination in Bhind area of Madhya Pradesh in 1955, Man Singh was pursued by 1,700 policemen of four states for over 15 years. He had committed some
1,112 dacoities, 185 murders and collected about Rs 5 lakh as ransom in those times. Having a huge reward on his head, Man Singh had braved over 80 encounters with police, killing 32 policemen. The cost of the operations, that eventually led to his death, was Rs 1.5 crore.
His family developed some row over a piece of land with a Brahmin family in the same village. The dispute gradually assumed serious dimensions. Consequently, Man Singh with some of his kin killed two persons related to the rival Brahmin family. To escape the police, he along with his brother, nephew and his eldest son absconded and took refuge in the ravines of Chambal.
It is believed that Man Singh facilitated the formation of several small bandit-gangs to avert police force together. His gang members used to receive training in handling weapons and sported khaki uniform. His gang was said to be equipped with automatic rifles .303 rifles hand-grenades binoculars and the like. People say he had a superb intelligence network of informers in place to help him in his relentless vendetta against his enemies and dodging the ever following policemen.
Man Singh was an outlaw who used to plunder the rich but never bothered the poor. As the locals put it, Daku Man Singh, who was popular as Raja Man Singh among the villagers, used to help those in
distress, dispensed justice to the oppressed and respected women a lot. There are stories of his generosity to widow, vulnerable women and starving villagers. He used to bear all the expenses of marriage of girls from poor families. People sing paeans of the dreaded dacoit for his principles which he never abandoned.