A fact-finding team of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation on June 23 visited the families of Shravan Paswan and Pintu Paswan, two Dalit youths who were lynched at the Jhunkiya Baba Temple in Rajgir during the Malmas Mela on June 15, and also met those affected by the recent repression unleashed on the movement demanding a Degree College in Nagarnausa.
The team comprised CPI(ML) Liberation Central Committee member and former MLA Gopal Ravidas, former MLA Manoj Manzil, Nalanda District Secretary, Shrinivas Sharma, District Committee member Sunil Kumar, Kishore Sao, and several other party leaders.
The delegation met the families of the deceased and gathered details of the incident. The team expressed its deepest condolences and assured the families of full support in their struggle for justice.
Family members told the delegation that Shravan Paswan and Pintu Paswan were asked their caste identity inside the Jhunkiya Baba Temple and were then brutally assaulted. Their hands and legs were tied before they were mercilessly beaten. They stated that the temple priest, along with local criminals and goons, carried out the mob lynching. The families also informed the team that the main accused responsible for the killings has still not been arrested.
The CPI(ML) leaders condemned the lynching and demanded the immediate arrest of all those responsible. They called for a speedy trial and the strictest punishment for the perpetrators. The party also demanded compensation of ₹50 lakh each for the families of the deceased and government jobs for eligible family members.
The fact-finding team also took note of the recent repression against the democratic movement in Nagarnausa demanding the establishment of a Degree College and reiterated its commitment to stand with the people in their struggle for education, dignity and justice.
CPI(ML) Liberation stated that the lynching of Shravan Paswan and Pintu Paswan in Rajgir has exposed the continuing reality of caste oppression and violence in Bihar. The party demanded swift justice, accountability, and concrete action to ensure that such atrocities are not repeated.
