Naxalites kill 16 in Bihar

GUNS ROARED AGAIN IN BIHAR AFTER A LONG TIME

Left ultras have killed 16 People in Khagaria district of Bihar on 2^nd October night. The scheduled castes supported by naxalites  attacked people who were asleep in the village Ichwara in Khagaria district, some 200 Kilometers away from state capital Patna. The suspected maoists who were said to be 20 in numbers segregated the old and young and tied their hands and legs and then fired on them with firearms killing 16 of them on the spot. One man who saved his life by pretending to be dead narrated the whole  gruesome story to the police. The dead bodies were lying for autopsy to be done and the situation on the spot is pathetic. The helpless women and children are weeping bitterly making the environment very emotional. Among the dead bodies, there are some 10-12 years children also. Nobody understands why did they kill these children?  

The villagers were so angry that they did not allow deputy chief minister shushil modi to stay and talk to the villagers. He was hackled and forced to leave the village instantly. The chief minister Nitish kumar has announced ex-gratia payment of  one lakh and fifty thousand rupess to the next of the kin killed in this dastardly act of mayhem. The police says that land dispute is the reason for this attack. The 200-300 bighas of gairmazarua, the government land is said to be under the possession of the people belonging to keori and kurmi caste. The Mushars, a scheduled caste who are called mahadalits now wanted to take possession of these lands, they said that these lands belonged to their ancestors and farmers have fraudulently and forcefully grabbed this when they were innocent and helpless. There were some scuffles also few months back which was reported to the police, but they alleged that police in connivance of these farmers did not take any action. Therefore the Mushars decided to kill them in order to teach them a lesson, some people say on condition of anonymity.  They contacted the left ultras, the police says, and with the help of them, they perpetrated this violence.

Bihar had been not witnessing such type of massacres for quite some time and people were taking sigh of relief that perhaps the massacres are the incidents of past. But this incident has again exposed that smoulder of hatred and violence still exist in the society. In recent years, Nitish Kumar had earned reputation of being a good administrator who has set the house in order. Media houses has been flooded with reports of improvement in law and order situation. This incident has again raised eyebrows of doubts and the government witll have to leave no stone unturned to improve the state police machinery and deal with therse elements with iron hands.

Land reforms has taken back seat over a decade or more. No political party, for risk of loosing vote banks dare to touch this contentious issue on one pretext or the other. Nitish Kumar, just after coming to power some three and half years ago, set up one ‘Land Reform Commission’ under a retired IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, D. Bandhopadhyay, who had earned reputation in West Bengal for implementing some excellent measures in that state. This Commission has submited its recommendations also some six months ago. The report has been made public also. But due to setbacks received by NDA( alliance of JD(U) and BJP) in the recently concluded bye elections, Nitish Kumar is not daring to implement the recommendations. The political observers say that recommendations like giving statutory rights to the share-croppers, which government said would be implemented very soon has infuriated the farmers, mostly upper and other backward castes. These groups opposed this move and voted against the NDA, the alliacnce of which Nitish Kumar is the chief minister.   Thus this opportunity of implementation of land reforms has also been lost. It is being said that now onwards no political party will even like these issues to be raised and discussed on public forums.