The Chambal Gorges are a mountainous region of central India bordering the states of Madhya Pradesh and Utter Pradesh. For decades, since the turn of the last century, these ravines have been the hotbed of dacoit gangs called “Daku” in the local language. The dacoit threat has been greatly reduced now, but some five decades ago, a dacoit by the name of Man Singh ruled these ravines. It should be noted that the very nature of these ravines provides excellent cover for gangs of robbers.

Man Singh, as Billy the kid from the Wild West, is more of a legend now. He is almost treated as a demigod by the local population who remember him as a benevolent dacoit. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor. In this sense, he was more of a Robin Hood. He was a Thakur by caste and prided himself on it. But the dark side of this dacoit cannot be erased, since he committed more than 150 murders and countless dacoities. He is also credited with the deaths of 32 police officers. But in many cases he would give money to the family of the policeman who had died doing his duty against him. In that sense, he was a unique thief.

Man Singh came from a wealthy family, but a series of machinations against him by his neighbors in collusion with the local police led to him losing all his land and wealth. So he became a dacoit and formed one of the most feared gangs in the ravines. The exploits of this man were spread far and wide and after India gained independence in 1947, he was at his peak. The police mounted many operations to catch him, but all were in vain as the local population supported him.

Man Singh was also a staunch Hindu and built many temples. Thus he devoted much of his wealth to the construction of these temples. The people of Bhind and Morena, the two main cities in this region, still remember him for these acts of charity.

But the state and central governments could not allow the robbers to flourish and Pandit Nehru deployed Gurkhas to deal with the robber gangs. In 1955, Man Singh was shot by Gurkha troops of the Indian Army while he was resting under a tree. It was an anticlimax and Nehru was able to announce to parliament that the feared thief had been killed. His reign as dacoit had lasted from 1939-55.

However, Man Singh lives on after his death. As a memory and tribute to him, a temple dedicated to him is built in his hometown of Rathor in Agra district. Thousands regularly pay their respects to the messiah of the poor. In fact, he was a special dacoit or ‘Daku’.