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Caste Bullets Ricochet...

Rural violence spirals as caste 'armies' run amok

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Caste Bullets Ricochet...
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THE wretched of the earth have little to cheer about in central Bihar. In the last week of March alone, 18 people were killed in one of the most deadly outbreaks of rural violence. Barely six days after 10 Dalits were massacred in cold blood in Patna district's Haibuspur village, eight extremists—five from upper-caste Hindu 'army' Sangharsha Jan Mukti Morcha, three Dalit members of radical Left group Party Unity—were gunned down in two incidents. Enough to put besieged Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav on the hotline with Union Home Secretary K. Padmanabhaiah, the very man he had cocked a snook at barely two days ago. The SOS: he was setting up a task-force, but he needed paramilitary backup to counter growing extremist violence.

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It all started on Holi-eve. A pamphlet distributed two days before had warned of real bloodletting—not just colours. Especially vulnerable were the Musahars, the poorest-of-the-poor community of traditional mouse-trappers who live in 58 thatched huts at the edge of the village.

By sunset, the pamphlet prediction came true. A man, allegedly owing allegiance to the Ranvir Sena—another armed group of caste Hindus, comprising members from the powerful and once politically dominant Bhumihar community—visited the Musahars. They knew the man; he was from the village. So when he sought help—he wanted the Musahars to carry some luggage for his friends as it was dark—they couldn't refuse.

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He picked up 11 volunteers and embarked on a 3-km trek through paddy fields to a particularly isolated spot. There was no luggage. Instead, 25 armed men rose from the shadows and encircled the Musahars.

They seemed in no hurry. They first tied their victims' hands and dragged them to an abandoned well. According to the FIR of the lone survivor, Ramesh Majhi, the men held a big feast and drank a lot. When the liquor ran out, they smashed the empty bottles and glasses against the heads of the victims, kicked them on the stomach and other vulnerable spots, and assaulted them with gun butts. After they had had their fill of fun, the half-dead victims were lined up and shot at point-blank range. Only Ramesh Majhi survived, pretending to be dead. When the news broke, just about everyone in Patna was celebrating Holi. It took many hours for a police team to reach the spot; Laloo and his team followed soon.

Says Prasad Majhi, occasional wage-earner, who makes less than Rs 20 a day: "They took my son Rajan away. What did we ever do? Had I been home, I would've stopped him." Ramuna Devi lost her husband. Desperately collecting money for the last rites, she mumbled: "We're not with the CPI(ML)." Which brings one to the crux. In fertile central Bihar, caste clashes are commonplace. On one side are caste Hindu 'senas'; they take on the poor, low castes loosely organised by Left extremists. The police has recorded nearly 30 caste clashes in central and south Bihar this year alone. Of them, a majority involve the Ranvir Sena.

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The state government banned the Ranvir Sena four years ago, but such steps are taken with a pinch of salt by warring mercenaries. Starting from Bhojpur (where 400 of the 800 officially licenced arms belong to Ranvir Sena sympathisers) the private army, with an ever-growing cadre force, has spread its tentacles to Patna and Gaya. Funds come mostly from levies slapped on shopkeepers, contractors and government servants: everyone pays up out of fear.

The curious land relations in the state have made it fertile territory for this phenomenon. Says R. Prasad of the A.N. Sinha Institute at Patna: "Land has been traditionally owned by upper castes. With the green revolution of the '70s emerged the middle Hindu castes like the Yadavs and Kurmis, who have now acquired landlord status of their own." The one-point programme of landlords is to ensure that minimum agricultural wages are not paid to the labour force, which is also denied ownership rights despite the fact that a farmer who has tilled the land for over 10 years is entitled to it. Now that the Left extremists are resisting, this equation seems to be fast changing.

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The state government makes no distinction between the armies on either side of the political divide. They hold the Red army of Naxal groups like the CPI(ML) Liberation, Maoist Communist Centre, Party Unity and its front Majdoor Kisan Sangram Samiti equally responsible for the raging rural violence. DGP S.K. Saxena claims the anti-Naxal drive launched in July '96 to cover 12 central Bihar districts is paying dividends. It is indeed, in a macabre way.

ON the other side of the spectrum, the state government has identified eight private armies of landlords who have opposed the "red terror" since '83-84. The Ranvir Sena apart, there's the Sunlight Sena, Suwarna Liberation Front, the more-or-less dormant Lorik Sena of the Yadavs, Bhoomi Sena, Hara Sena, Kunwar Sena and Brahmarishi Sena. Though territories often overlap, they are mostly active in Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Aura-ngabad, Palamau and Daltonganj.

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All agree that without political patronage and the local police's active connivance, the private armies couldn't have survived. CPI(ML) Liberation leader Vinod Mishra (see interview), for instance, is certain that the Ranvir Sena and other landlord armies have the backing of the government. A Union Home Ministry report lists local politicians who patronise private armies. Laloo is mentioned as a 'one-time' patron of the militant Kisan Sangh, others like former Congress minister Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav too are linked to similar outfits. The report was prepared by police officers D.P. Sinha, V.D. Ram and Vishwa Ranjan.

Also, landlord armies like the Ranvir Sena seem to be veering towards the newly-emerging BJP-Samata Party combine. According to a Home Ministry report, based on trends supplied by the state Election Commission, Ranvir Sena supporters voted for the combine in Arrah in the '96 elections.

Officials admit privately they can do little to stop the rampaging 'senas'. "The number of illegal arms floating around is staggering," admits an officer. Munger district has India's largest illegal arms cottage industry. The state intelligence estimates 218 blocks in 34 districts are run by a parallel administration, comprising private mercenaries. Political patronage apart, the police lacks the wherewithal to take them on. Maybe it's time for Central forces to step in?

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