Many persons ask us who are these "bandits with these typical moustaches" who appear in the "then you win" film and in "Chambal's Robin hood" trailer.
These five persons call themselves "baghi" (hindi word for "rebels") but they are also called dacoits ("bandits"). They all live in Chambal Valley and they are nowadays rehabilitated after spending many years in prison because of their numerous crimes.
Even if they didn't belong to the same gang, and sometimes not to the same generation, all of them wanted to take revenge against the injustices they faced. In this feudal area, where the police was widely corrupted, these five persons decided to take the weapons, jump into the ravines of Chambal, and start an outlaw life.
Also known as "Lukka Pandit", Lokman Dixit was despoiled of his land and he joined the gang of the legendary Man Singh in 1948. When he died in 1955, Lokman Dixit took the leadership of the gang which counted 15 persons. They committed numerous crimes and he can't even remember how many persons he killed. In 1960, Vinoba Bhave - the disciple of Mahatma Gandhi - convinced him to surrender, along with the gang. He faced a life sentence but eventually was released in 1968, thanks to Vinoba Bhave. He took an important part in the surrender of the 600 dacoits in 1972. Lokman Dixit now lives with his grandchildren, in a small town in the Valley.
During a land dispute, Mohar Singh killed someone and he said he had no other choice but to become a dacoit. He was 20 years old. In the sixties, he led the biggest gang of Chambal with more than 100 hundred persons. They were specialised in kidnapping, and they commited more than 400 crimes. At that time, they were using rifles that even the police didn't have. After 15 years of an outlaw life, Mohar Singh and his gang surrendered in 1972, thanks to the work of Jai Prakash Narayan, Subba Rao, Rajagopal and some non-violent activists. Mohar Singh spent some years in jail and when he got released, he became the mayor of his home-town. He's now a retired farmer and he's living with his family.
He joined a gang after one of his cousin had grabbed his land. He took revenge by killing his cousin and continued to participate in the gang activities. In 1972, he was among the 600 dacoits who surrendered. He spent some years in jail and when he got released, he became a farmer. He was inspired by Subba Rao and Rajagopal, and he decided to work with Ekta Parishad to prepare the Janadesh. He marched along with the 25000 people from Gwalior to Delhi in October 2007.
He belongs to a landlord family, but his father's land was grabbed by his uncle and cousins. The police didn't help him so Ramesh said he had no alternative but to become a dacoit. From 1975 to 1984, he led a gang of 32 persons. They were the biggest gang at that time. The police put a lot of efforts to hound them down and it was the first time that helicopters were used to search them in the ravines. Ramesh and his gang eventually surrendered in 1984. Subba Rao played an important role for their rehabilitation. Ramesh is now a farmer in a town near Morena.
When Ramesh became an outlaw, the police asked his friend Babu to betray him. But Babu decided to turn as a dacoit. Ramesh presented him as his bodyguard. He's as silent as Ramesh is talkative. When we met them, we recorded a two hours long interview with Ramesh, while Babu didn't speak for more than 5 minutes...
