44 houses torched in Dalit hamlet in Bihar
An armed group of men torched 44 homes in a Dalit-dominated settlement in Bihar’s Nawada district over a land dispute, police said on Thursday, adding that 15 people were arrested for the incident.
An armed group of men torched 44 homes in a Dalit-dominated settlement in Bihar’s Nawada district over a land dispute, police said on Thursday, adding that 15 people were arrested for the incident.
The sensational crime, which happened on Wednesday evening at Krishna Nagar village in Dedaur panchayat, also triggered a political controversy with the Opposition blaming the Nitish Kumar government of ignoring Dalits, and the government dismissing the charges.
Hundreds of people surrounded Krishna Nagar area, a Dalit hamlet, and first opened fire before setting the huts ablaze around 7.15pm on Wednesday, police said. Villagers residing here are mostly from the Manjhi and Ravidas communities.
Rekha Devi, one of the victims, pointed out that her family’s belongings were set ablaze. “Our goats were burnt. All utensils and stoves have been damaged,” he said. “They want us to leave the place, but how can we. My great grand father and grand father all lived here and they lived and died here.”
Read more: NIA raids 5 locations in Bihar including residence of ex-JDU MLC Manorama Devi
At least 21 houses were fully gutted while another 23 were partially damaged in the fire, police said. There were no casualties.
Nawada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Dheeman said that 15 accused were arrested,
“The incident is related to a land dispute between two groups, which is subjudice. The situation is now under control and a large contingent of police personnel has been deployed in the area to prevent any flare-up. A search is underway to nab the other accused persons,” the SP added.
The police have registered a first information report (FIR) against 28 named and unidentified accused under sections 191 (2) (punishment for rioting),191(3) (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 190(1) (rioting), 109(1)(attempt to murder), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351(2)(3) (punishment for criminal intimidation), 326(G) (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), 303(2) (punishment for theft), 111(3) (organised crime), 61(2)(a) (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), section 27 of the Arms Act and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Read more: Primary teacher from Bihar arrested in Bavdhan murder case
The SP said that a special investigation team was constituted to probe the incident and nab the accused “Three firearms, three misfired cartridges, two empty cartridges, a pellet and six motorcycles were recovered from the possession of those arrested,” said Dheeman.
Police said nine fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was extinguished around 11.30 pm, but by then there was not much to be saved. District magistrate (DM) Ashutosh Kumar Verma said that an investigation was underway to ascertain the reasons behind the violence.
“Our primary focus is to rehabilitate the victims. Fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties in the incident,” he said.
Those allegedly involved in the incident have been identified as Nandu Paswan, Pannu Paswan, Shibu Paswan, Shrawan Paswan (all from Pranbigha village) Yamuna Chouhan, Somar Chouhan, Nunu Prasad, Devan Yadav (all from Lohani Bigha of Muffasil police station area of Nawada), Dasrath Chouhan, Badri Chouhan, Ramsaran Chouhan, Mithlesh Chouhan and Yadunandan Chouhan (all from Rahui police station area of Nalanda district).
Some of the accused were Dalit while almost all of the victims were Dalit.
“Investigations have also revealed that most of the houses set on fire belonged to people belonging to the SC/ST community. It is also suspected that the accused initially fired in the air before setting the houses ablaze,” the DM added.
Verma further noted the land on which the settlement has been built has been embroiled in an ownership dispute since 1995. “In May 29, 2023, the Nawada district court had ordered the inspection of the land,” he said.
Rekha Devi said that despite the Muffasil police station being only two kilometres away, a brutal attack took place in the settlement she was living in. “The attackers wanted to evict us and seize our land,” she said. She further alleged Nandu Paswan of orchestrating the attacks to try and claim the land the settlement was built on.
Another victim, Ram Briksha Das (60), said that they don’t want to leave the land he and his family have lived for years. “We cannot go. We have been living here peacefully for decades with no trouble to anyone. We have developed the area green with our blood and sweat. We know that this is ‘sarkari jameen’ (government land). We don’t know who is fighting whom, as we have been tilling this land for generations. But, we cannot go,” he said.
The incident also triggered a political row in a state where caste fault lines run deep.
The government condemned the incident and asked for law-and-order to be strengthened.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar ordered the additional director general of police (law and order) to monitor the probe on-site. He also emphasised the need to apprehend all suspects as quickly as possible.
“The CM stressed that those who take the law into their own hands must be caught and punished. He directed all district magistrates and superintendents of police across the state to ensure that the rule of law prevails,” a senior official from the Chief Minister’s office said.
But the Opposition was not impressed
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav demanded slammed the state government and demanded strict action against the accused. “It is clear that such incidents are continuously taking place in the double engine government. The people who have set these houses on fire should be arrested and strict action should be taken against them,” he said.
In response, Union minister Jitin Ram Manjhi alleged that Opposition leaders were indulging in theatrics over the incident. “The Opposition people first get the Dalits tortured and then question the working style of the government. Around 90% of the people arrested in the Nawada incident belong to a particular caste and are RJD supporters. Will Rahul Gandhi now say something on this or remain silent?” Manjhi asked.
“I spoke to Nawada’s DM and SP in connection with the incident. It’s a highly condemnable incident. Most of the criminals involved in the incident have been arrested and those who are absconding will soon be put behind bars.” Manjhi further said adding that he would visit the settlement on Sunday.