Attack on Mahadalits in Araria
Goons enjoying political protection of the ruling government and the RJD party launched a murderous attack on the poor belonging to Musahar Dalit community in Rahariya village, Bhargama block in Araria district, killing two CPI (ML) leaders, Comrade Satyanarayan Prasad (Araria district secretary) and Comrade Kamleshwari Rishidev. Several people have been gravely injured and 3 comrades are still missing.
A Seemanchal Bandh is being held at the call of the CPI(ML) on 4 January 2017 to protest this atrocity.
The JDU-RJD government that claims to stand for “social justice” continues to facilitate assaults on Dalits and the oppressed. Perpetrators of the murderous attack on Mahadalits in Rahariya belong to the nearby village of Belsara and are known to be close to the RJD. The attack in Araria is no isolatd incident – a series of attacks on Mahalit colonies to evict them from homesteads and land have taken place in Bihar in the past year – at Bhagalpur, Nalanda, and also in Saharsa just a few days ago.
For the last 40 years Rahariya village has had about 35-40 houses of people of the Mahadalit Musahar community. They received the parcha (papers) for this land in 1975 itself, under land ceiling provisions. Of the nearly 100 acres of land, they live in about 3 acres, do farming in 7 acres and the remaining land is fallow. Next to it is another 1000 acres of ceiling surplus land for which the poor have received papers but not been allowed to take possession. In collusion with landlords, local dominant caste managed to get the land ‘registered’ in their own name illegally. They then forcibly harvested the crops from the 7 acre farm holdings – and are now trying to displace the Musahar people from the 3 acre residential area also. The Musahars were holding a meeting in this regard, which Comrades Satyanarayan Prasad and Kamleshwari Rishidev had gone to attend when they faced the murderous assault and were killed.
The Bhargama police station in-charge was present a few feet away from the spot where the attack took place but did nothing to stop it. This fact points to the collusion of the police in the attack. Following protests, the Bhargama police station in-charge has been suspended.
Eyewitnesses have named Dayanand Yadav as the main organizer of the attack – he is known to be close to RJD MLA Anil Yadav. Other accused include Manish Yadav, Rama Yadav, Bauaa Yadav, Manoj Rai and Sakal Deo Yadav – only the last has been arrested till now.
