Patna: Over 20 houses were set on fire in a Dalit settlement at Bihar’s Nawada district on Wednesday night.
Police, who suspect land dispute to be the cause for the destruction by miscreants, said 15 people, including the prime suspect, have been arrested.
Opposition parties RJD and Congress slammed the Nitish Kumar-headed JD(U)-BJP government, saying this was another proof of “jungle raj” prevailing in Bihar.
It was initially reported that around 80 houses were gutted, but police put the number at 21.
Villagers alleged that the miscreants stormed into their homes and thrashed members of several Dalit families. They went on rampage, setting ablaze houses and firing shots in the air to scare the Dalits, reported India Today.
However, police said no shells were found at the site and no one was injured.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up to investigate the matter after chief minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting with senior officials, according to Superintendent of Police Abhinav Dhiman.
Nitish said strict action will be taken against the guilty and none will be spared.
The administration deployed a huge contingent of police in the area to prevent any further flare-up.
‘Utter Indifference towards the deprived’
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the incident highlighted the state government’s “utter indifference” towards Dalits and the deprived.
“Burning down an entire colony of Mahadalits in Nawada highlights the horrifying picture of injustice against the Bahujans in Bihar. Such anarchist elements find shelter under the leadership of the BJP and its NDA allies. They intimidate and suppress the Bahujans so that they cannot even demand their social and constitutional rights… The silence of the Prime Minister is a seal of approval of this big conspiracy,” Rahul tweeted.
RJD leader and former deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav advised Nitish to wake up from his “slumber”.
“The chief minister of the third-largest party in Bihar has stopped speaking for months… the NDA is not concerned about Bihar but about criminals,” Tejashwi said, adding that atrocities against Dalits won’t be tolerated.
BSP supremo Mayawati called for financial support for rehabilitation of the victims.
“The incident of burning down of many houses of poor Dalits in Bihar’s Nawada by the goons and ruining their lives is extremely sad and serious. The government should take strict legal action against the culprits and also provide full financial help for the rehabilitation of the victims,” Mayawati tweeted.
