Bhind (Madhya Pradesh), May 5 (IANS): Once-dreaded Chambal ravines bandit Mohar Singh Gurjar, who was among the last few who refused to be known as dacoits, died on Tuesday morning after protracted illness in hometown Bhind, his nephew Indrabhan Singh said.

Mohar Singh, 92, and is survived by his two sons and a daughter. His lst rites were held in the evening.

Mohar killed a man over property dispute in 1958 and jumped into the ravines in a rebellion against the system, which he battled from 1960 to 1972. He once carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head. That was quite a big sum those days. Mohar Singh and his associates eventually surrendered before noted socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan in 1972. He served eight years in prison and was elected unopposed in a local body election in 1995. There were 315 cases against him including 85 of murder.

"We were driven to the ravines due to a tedious legal system which denied us and many others our rights. I had a dispute over land which dragged on for so long that I rebelled against the system and wielded the gun," Mohar Singh had said in 1972 after his surrender.

The likes of Mohar Singh and Malkhan Singh would prefer to be called 'baaghis' or rebels. They avoided looting the poor. Instead they would target the rich, hold them hostage and distribute the ransom amount among the poor.