Dalit politics in Bihar, the spine of the state’s sprawling identity politics that was brought under a tight leash by the Nitish Kumar government’s innovative measures, has raised its head again following a brutal attack by land-grabbers on dalit families in Patna that killed a woman and injured five people.
The RJD, Bihar’s main Opposition party known for its fervent championing of the cause of the backward castes and dalits, has blamed the JD(U)-BJP government for the public firing by some builders on a group of Musahars, the lowest and poorest among the dalit sub-castes, in the state capital’s Muralichak area on Tuesday morning. Since the firing took place allegedly in the presence of policemen, the RJD claims it had covert government support.
“This daylight firing after blatant encroachment of the poor dalits’ land in a posh area in Patna is proof that the government of Nitish Kumar, who likes to be known as the messiah of the poor and dalits, is actually working to eliminate them,” said state RJD president Ramchandra Purbe after visiting the troubled site along with a group of party colleagues.
In what could be unexpectedly bad for the chief minister’s hard-won image, the Muralichak incident has invoked comparisons between him and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with regard to their contributions for the uplift of Bihar’s dalits and backward communities. “While our leader (Yadav) gave the dalits a voice, Nitish Kumar is turning them homeless,” said Mr Purbe.
A graveyard of about 17 kathas being used by the dalits since 1948 was the site of Tuesday’s clash that began after the dalits protested newly started construction of a boundary wall by some builders who reportedly had no permission from the government and the affected community. One of the builder’s men was mercilessly beaten by a mob after the firing.
The RJD plans to use this incident to “fight for the dalits across Bihar”.
The government has offered Rs 2 lakh as compensation for the dalit woman’s death against the RJD’s demand for `10 lakhs.