Tales of some dreaded dacoits of Madhya Pradesh’s Chambal region and the efforts of police to curb the bandit menace will be showcased at a museum in Bhind district, officials said. Dacoit-turned-MP Phoolan Devi, bandit Malkhan Singh and athlete-turned-dacoit Paan Singh Tomar are among those whose life stories will find a mention in the museum, they said.

The state police personnel are donating money for setting up of the museum, which is likely to open next month, Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh told PTI.

“So far, the dacoits of Chambal belt have been glorified. Now, it is the turn of the victims and policemen who fought the menace to be brought into limelight,” he said.

There has been a general perception that some people turned dacoits out of despair. The ordeal of victims of the bandit menace has not come to light, he said.

“Besides, the police force heroes who fought the bandits have remained unsung. All this would be brought to the public domain in the museum,” he said.

With this initiative, the state police want to drive home the point that violence never pays, he said.

“The museum will have a database of more than 40 policemen and officers who lost their lives in eliminating dacoits from Chambal. Their photographs and medals will be displayed,” Deputy Inspector General of Police, Chambal Range, Rajesh Hingankar said.

A documentary is also going to be made to showcase the lives of dacoits and their victims, he said.

The museum is being set up in six-seven rooms at the Police Lines in Bhind. So far, police personnel have donated Rs 3 lakh for it, Singh said.

“We want the youth of the Chambal area to shun guns and violence,” he added. 

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