Patna: The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has come under attack after the brutal killing of three members of a Dalit family in Bhagalpur with the police still clueless about the perpetrators of the crime.
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has accused that violence against Dalits have risen in the state ever since Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) joined hands with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to form NDA government in the state.
Talking to News18, RJD spokesman Ramanauj Prasad said, “Initially right wing activists affiliated to BJP assaulted Dalits in several places in the name of cow vigilantism. Then more than 80 houses of Dalits were burnt in Khagaria district. There is a clear pattern of targeted attacks against the marginalised section and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is squarely responsible for this.”
The RJD said this NDA government is very different from what Nitish used to head earlier. “Gone are the days when BJP used to say that Nitish Kumar is Bihar and Bihar means Nitish. Now the baton is in the hands of deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and the BJP is calling the shots. They never respected Dalits and minorities. Bhagalpur incident is an example of this.”
Not only opposition but Nitish Kumar’s associate Uday Narayan Chaudhary, a known Dalit voice within JD(U), has echoed concern over the heinous murders of three Dalits.
Jan Adhikar Morcha leader and Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav interact with the outraged locals. (Image: News18)
He feared for the life of a girl who survived the attack but is battling for life in a Patna hospital. While on the way to Jhandapur Dalit hamlet in Naugachhia, where the assailants targeted the family, he told News18 that the failure of police to nab the culprits was startling and did not augur well for the perception about the government.
“I demand protection for the girl who is under treatment as she might be attacked in a bid to wipe off the evidence. She must be admitted to a private hospital for better treatment amid security,” he said.
Chaudhary also referred to various cases of violence against Dalits and said it might prove detrimental for the government. He demanded strict action against the suspects from CM Nitish Kumar.
Meanwhile, Bhalapur Range DIG Vikas Vaibhav has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Naugachhia SP Pankaj Sinha to investigate the case.
On November 25, villagers found Kanki Ram, head of the family, his wife Meena Devi, son Chhotu (12) and daughter Bindi (18) lying in the pool of blood.
Their throats were slit, eyes oozed out and private parts dismembered. Three had died but Bindi was still alive and she was rushed to the PMCH where her condition is said to be critical.
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