Mainstream WeeklyAt one time the Chambal Valley had become almost synonymous with the terror of dacoit gangs. However in 1960 the famous disciple of Mahatma Gandhi Vinoba Bhave brought hope of peace with a foot march in the course of which about 21 dacoits surrendered. However while a peace committee had been constituted with such significant names as Mahavir Singh and Hem Sharma, further progress was obstructed for some time by several powerful persons and forces of the region.
However in quiet ways the committed work of followers of Gandhi or activists of his Sarvodaya movement was keeping the cause alive. This received a big boost when Bhai Ji Dr. S.N.Subba Rao established the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram in Jaura town of Morena district (Madhya Pradesh). He had been arrested at the age of 13 for participating in the freedom movement and in the post- independence period he had devoted himself to social mobilisation of youth, setting up camps in which in inspirational conditions youth from various parts of the country together carried out constructive tasks. He along with his committed colleagues P.V.Rajagopal and Rann Singh Arya strengthened the justice-based peace efforts in the region.
Some of the dacoits who had surrendered earlier like Tehsildar Singh and Lokman had also become active to explore the possibilities of more surrenders. The Jaura ashram was soon becoming a hub for such initiatives.
Madho Singh, leader of one active dacoit gang, sent a messenger to Vinoba Bhave to make another effort for surrenders. Vinoba directed him to Jaya Prakash Narayan (generally called JP), the other most senior leader of the Sarvodaya movement. Madho Singh disguised himself as a contractor and went to meet JP. He told JP that he carried a message from the people of Chambal. JP welcomed him but stated that he was carrying a heavy burden of Bangladesh related work at that time. Then Madho Singh revealed his true identity and requested again to do something as his presence in Chambal will make a great contribution to peace efforts. JP then asked him to stay there for some more days.
After getting updated with the problem from this and other sources, JP agreed to intervene. He also contacted the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who had earlier also shown keen interest in this issue. Thanks to her initiative, all the three state governments involved here ( governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) agreed to extend their cooperation and the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh P.C. Sethi in particular had a big presence in the fast unfolding events.
All this while Sarvodaya activists as well as those dacoits who had surrendered earlier (like Lokman) as well as those who had completed their jail sentence (like Tehsildar Singh) were constantly going to forests and ravines to convince the dacoits for surrender. A big area was declared as a peace zone where police would not obstruct any efforts being made to contact dacoits.
Soon it became clear that apart from Madho Singh