On Wednesday, while addressing a protest author and activist Arundhati Roy said that people should give wrong names like Ranga-Billa when officials come to collect information for National Population Register (NPR).
"Whenever the officials come to collect your information for NPR, you can give wrong names like Ranga-Billa or Kungfu-Kutta and also give wrong address like 7, Race Course Road," Arundhati Roy said.
She was later trolled for her comments. But this not the first time when Ranga and Billa's name has used, in November 2019, even Congress leader P Chidambaram's counsel while seeking bail in the INX Media money laundering case had brought up names of Ranga and Billa. During the bail hearing Kapil Sibal, counsel for Congress leader P Chidambaram, told the bench which comprised justices R Bhanumathi, A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy, "It has been said (in HC verdict) that a wrong message would go to country if I (Chidambaram) am released on bail as if I am some kind of criminal like 'Ranga' and 'Billa', My Lord."
So who are 'Ranga' and 'Billa'?
They are convicted murderers who were sentenced to death. The case was known as Geeta and Sanjay Chopra kidnapping and murder case or Ranga-Billa case.
Two teenagers, Geeta and Sanjay Chopra, children of a senior Naval officer, were subjected to sadistic torture before being murdered cruelly.
In August 1978, Kuljeet Singh alias Ranga Khus and Jasbir Singh alias Billa, murdered two teenagers, children of a senior naval officer, after subjecting them to sadistic torture. Ranga and Billa were two hardened criminals from Mumbai who had just been released from Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail.
Geeta and Sanjay Chopra were kidnapped for ransom in New Delhi, but after learning their father was in the navy they were killed. Geeta was allegedly raped before being murdered, but forensic evidence could not confirm this. Kuljeet Singh alias Ranga Khush and Jasbir Singh alias Billa were convicted and sentenced to death under IPC 302. They were also convicted for crimes under Section 363 (kidnapping), 365 (kidnapping with unlawful confinement), 366 (kidnapping a woman with intention of sexual intercourse) and 367 (kidnapping with intention to cause hurt), read with Section 34.
The two kidnappers were sentenced to death and the execution was carried out in 1982, but their bodies were not claimed by the relatives.
