Worst fears come true in Bihar

Could it be a mere co-incidence that a woman and her five children belonging to an extremely backward classes were burnt alive at Bhagtand Tolain in Raghopur in Vaishali district by a gang of ten on a night of last day of the year?

In that incident one person was admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) with severe burns. All the victims including Poonam (8), Suraj (6), Anil (4) and Rajesh (1) were identified to be Mahtos (the extremely backward class). Apart from locking the family inside, even bombs were hurled to scare the poor people.

What was their fault?

Apparently it is said that there was a case of buffalo behind the whole incident. But it seems hard to believe that an animal can cause such anger in the affluent Rai’s of the area, penalising the victims – including children in the pre-teens – by charring them so brutally.

Co-incidentally the place of the episode is same as the Assembly constituency of Rabri Devi, the former Chief Minister of Bihar and currently a Leader of Opposition.

Well if it is hard to buy any other reason behind the cruel act other than the buffalo episode, another incident, which happened within just two days, is enough to explain the gravity of situation in a state.

In another bizarre incident, which happened in the Mahpur area of Muzaffarpur, a family belonging to the extremely backward classes was molestated by the affluent Yadavs of the area on the pretext of not voting for a particular political party.

Gayatri Devi, a member of the victim family, explicitly stated that the miscreants threatened them to bear the consequences of not voting in their favour, as she recalled their warnings, “How dare you vote against us?”

These cases cannot be rubbished as just stray incidents of outrage. They instead explain the larger equations in the state, which has shown an extraordinary courage to change the guard of the state.

Nitish Kumar might be anticipating problems by his rival parties but his extremely backward brethren are already feeling the heat of those ousted of power by them.

The very people, who remained in power for more than a decade are slowly growing angry over the realisation that the power and clout, which they took for granted and wielded for years is no longer officially their own.

Now that the euphoria of a regime change is gradually settling down, this depressed section is going to bear the brunt of the politically powerful castes of the state.

For one Nitish Kumar at the helm of the state, there are thousands in the villages and hamlets of the state ready to take a revenge on those who had dare to unseat their favourite leader in Patna.

Now it is for the newly elected CM to ensure that the common voter, who voted for him, does not feel himself in the ‘no man’s land’.

Somehow the long betrayed people have mustered courage to show their faith in democracy. But with incidents such as Mahpur and Raghopur repeating, they might again retreat to the dark shell of self-confinement.

It’s time the hijackers of democracy are prevented and their misdeeds are undone. For only then the new government can restore faith in its rule of law or simply wait for the worst to happen.