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Journalism of Courage
Four kms off Gobindpur in the southern Bihar district of Nawada, the mangled police jeep that Left extremists blew up on April 15, killing 13, has not yet been removed from the site.
At the Gobindpur police station this afternoon, men have retired to their barracks and are nervous to receive unfamiliar visitors — with most of them on the MCC hit-list, the assault has dented their morale.
‘‘The attack came after a break of years and hence was unexpected,’’ admits District Magistrate N. Vijayalakshmi while denying that police are demoralised.
A 60-member MCC squad in wait for the police party after planting a mine on the road to Kakolath. After the blast, that lifted the jeep by 20 ft, the attackers came out and shot at least two policemen from short range. Three survived — two were left for dead and another who pleaded that he was a mere chowkidar.
The Gobindpur block, notorious for its exploitative landlords and impoverished landless thousands, has been an MCC stronghold. As the story goes in most of the extremist-influenced villages, here too, the poor found their hope not in the ineffective government apparatus, but in the militant Left organisations.
For instance, one landlord here, Ashu Singh reportedly enjoyed watching his Dalit labourers dance in the nude. The labourers, organised under the MCC, drove out many a landlord, forcing them to migrate to cities like Patna. Today Ashu Singh cannot dream of coming to his once sprawling orchard, says a policeman at the Gobindpur police station.
The MCC began to target police in a bid to consolidate its position and acquire weapons. In the Jat Sari village blast of April 15 also the rebels took away all the weapons. Also, in the MCC’s fight against the state, hapless policemen have been caught in the crossfire. Already on the defensive, last month’s blast has terrorised the police force.
In at least eight police station limits — Kauwa Kol, Roh, Gobindpur, Akbarpur, Rajouli and Sirdala — it is the MCC writ that runs, and all the more so in the past one month. ‘‘Police patrol ends within one to two kilometers of the station or at the market places. They cannot go to interior villages,’’ says a villager.
In the villages, the MCC administers quick justice by jan adalats and even runs schools for children who otherwise can’t afford it. And it enjoys local support. ‘‘The blast last month could not have executed without the active support of the villagers,’’ admits a policeman.
In Bihar, the influence of the extreme Left outfits has increased substantially in the recent years, says a state police officer, though instances of violence have come down. ‘‘Poverty and disparity have increased and so has extremism,’’ he said.
