After spending about 24 years in the jail on the charge of killing four people along with some others, Brij Bihari, a resident of Barahara Mahant village, could finally expect to breathe fresh air on Republic Day.
Bihari and 18 others were sentenced to life imprisonment for the killings at Bariyapur Shahi village in the district in 1987. Of them, three died while serving their sentence in jail.
As many as 16 members of Brij Bihari’s family, including himself, had been named in the killings. The sensational killings, which were attributed to old enmity, had evoked an outcry then.
Brij Bihari was 84, when he was arrested in connection with the murders and sent to jail though it was doubted if he could kill somebody at such an age. He never came out since then.
According to the jail officials, his name has been included in the list of inmates, whose release has been recommended on this occasion. The list was currently under consideration of the government, sources said.
The officials said a prisoner, who was blind or suffered from cancer or had served 12 years and completed 60 years could be released as per the rules. UP Chief Minister Mayawati on her 55th birthday on Saturday also declared that the government had taken steps for the release of old and sick prisoners from the jails. According to jail officials, Brij Bihari is too old to be kept in the jail. He could very well be the oldest prisoner in the world.