The decision follows an amendment in the Bihar Police jail manual that dropped the words ‘a civil servant on duty’ to set free those who have completed 14 years in prison, instead of the 20 required to qualify as having served a life sentence. Twenty-six others also benefit from the move.
Phanishwarnath Renu: An author who stood by the oppressed
Phanishwarnath Renu was among the few authors with a deep understanding of how casteism pervades Indian society and how it relates to certain communities monopolizing agricultural land. His works clearly demonstrate that he firmly stood by the oppressed, writes Kaushal Kumar Patel
Based on their understanding of the past and the present, experienced, far-sighted authors are often able to accurately depict the future in their works. Phanishwarnath Renu, a man of many talents and an excellent portrayer of rural life, had this quality, too. He had done an in-depth study of rural society, which was in the middle of a transition. He had lived through the Quit India Movement of 1942 and had carved out a niche for himself as a revolutionary thinker and writer in the early years of Independence. Renu stayed abreast of the socio-economic changes sweeping through north India, Nepal, some parts of east India and the then East Pakistan