Mahadalits’ Houses Set on Fire Amidst Ongoing Anti-encroachment Drive

On the night of 26th of January 26, hundreds of families of mahadalits (Scheduled Castes of Bihar) living in Bihar’s Begusarai were rendered homeless, following Nitish Kumar’s anti-encroachment drive. The houses of the families were burnt, leaving them with no option but to sleep out in the open, in the chilly cold of Bihar. Reportedly, the fire was set by the goons of the powerful landlords in the area.On the night of 26th of January 26, hundreds of families of mahadalits (Scheduled Castes of Bihar) living in Bihar’s Begusarai were rendered homeless, following Nitish Kumar’s anti-encroachment drive. The houses of the families were burnt, leaving them with no option but to sleep out in the open, in the chilly cold of Bihar. Reportedly, the fire was set by the goons of the powerful landlords in the area.

This is not the only time the houses of the Dalit community have been targeted. Earlier this month, houses of the mahadalits were attacked in Runni Saidpur where the protestors led an agitation for more than 50 days. The protesters were also reportedly attacked with a petrol bomb, injuring one and leading to the death of another protester.

The left parties have united to take on the apathetic alliance of the BJP with Janata Dal (United)’s Nitish Kumar. Many allege that the coalition has paved way to strengthen the control of the land mafia. Speaking to Newsclick, Awdhesh Kumar, state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said, “With the coalition, the anti-encroachment drive has picked up pace, and it is happening across the state, and not just in a few areas. The government has given room for a nexus to be created between the land mafia and the district administration. The mahadalits are just softer targets for the goons of the landlords, as they have no bargaining power.”

To explain the prevailing land crisis, he said that Bihar has been facing several floods, which has led to the relocation of many across the state. Instead of providing the people with rehabilitation, the state has instead pushed them out to live in small clusters, according to him. “Bandyopadhyay Bhoomi Aayog Bihar stated that at least 10 dismil of land should be allocated per family. It also stated that one acre of land should be allocated to the families for farming; however, none of this was done in practice despite over 22 lakh acres of land being available. The right to life is the fundamental right of the people and a responsibility of the government.”

There is significant anger on the ground against the exploitative policy of the state government which aims to benefit the land mafia. A delegation of the left parties is also meeting the district administration in the state to raise the issue.

Read more: Landless Farmers on Hunger Strike Attacked With Petrol Bomb in Bihar