A mob burst on the scene as night fell. Equipped with hockey sticks, bricks, stones, firearms and crude bombs it prepared for an assault.
“You are Harijans,” it yelled. “You have no right to read and write. Your work is to mend shoes and chappals. We will keep you as servants in our houses. Your ancestors did the same work. You leave the hostel or else there will be a massacre.” This is part of a police statement given by a Dalit student residing in the Bhimrao Ambedkar Welfare Hostel of Patna University (PU) facility.
Last week, the hostel witnessed fierce caste violence in which three Dalit students were injured.
“Around 30 men came shouting Brahmeshwar Mukhiya zindabad, Mukhiya amar rahe [Long live the Mukhiya] and Ambedkar ko phuk do [Destroy Ambedkar]. They stood outside the hostel and started throwing stones. They dragged and beat up a student. Firing shots and bombs rent the air. We ran inside the hostel. All we had to defend against the armed attack were brick pieces used to support the cots in our room,” Satyaprakash, a student at the Ambedkar hostel, told The Hindu.
‘Mukhiya’ refers to the slain Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh.
Located in Patna’s ‘coaching district’, the hostel forms part of the Saidpur hostel campus of PU. Facing it is a cluster of five hostels for general category students, collectively called the ‘Saidpur hostel’, which has gained notoriety over the years for nurturing hooligans and becoming a virtual den of anti-socials from the landowning Bhumihar caste, particularly from the badlands of Jehanabad district.
“While students from other castes reside in the Saidpur hostel, since very early days, it has been dominated by the “so-called” students of the landlord caste, mostly Bhumihars. The boys come mostly from Jehanabad, Gaya and Nalanda districts. Though it’s for all students, including those from SC, when students are enrolled, they either belong to the Saidpur hostel or the Ambedkar hostel,” official sources told The Hindu.
A clear topographical division on caste lines thus separates the two hostels. “Yahan par Jehanabad ke khas jati ke khas logon ka dabang hai [A particular caste from Jehanabad wields clout here]. Only a Jehanabad Bhumihar can stay here without being harassed. Others; say a Yadav boy comes along; he is beaten up and made to flee. The miscreants then get their own relatives to stay. Many of them don’t even know where PU is. There is a terrible situation here,” a Saidpur resident told The Hindu on condition of anonymity.
Gangster Guddu Sharma, who was shot dead in Delhi a few years ago, was a product of the Saidpur hostel. In fact, this hostel is one of the reasons why a police check post in the area was converted into a full-fledged police station in 2007.
A common power grid that supplies electricity to the entire neighbourhood is one of the key triggers for such attacks, as it was last week.
“That evening, there was a power cut at the Ambedkar hostel, but not at the Saidpur general hostel. The Ambedkar students went to the electricity office, situated on the same campus, to take stock of the mater. Seeing them, the Saidpur boys hurtled down and started hurling caste abuses, such as ‘Harijans’ ‘dusadhs’ and ‘chamars’ [all lower caste names]’,” as per another police statement of a student.
“When we asked for power supply, they said, ‘Have you ever seen light in your life?’” Satyaprakash recalled.
The official sources said, in a situation where the Ambedkar hostel had power and Saidpur hostel did not, there was immense pressure on electricity officials to cut the supply to the Ambedkar hostel. “Seeing an equal distribution of facilities stokes the caste jealousies of the Saidpur hostellers, Many times fights over power supply take the form of caste clashes,” an official source said.
“There have been times,” said a general student, “when the whole area is plunged into darkness, but only the Saidpur hostel is lit.” Disconnecting water supply to the Ambedkar hostel is another means of showing caste dominance. The tap dries up at 9 a.m. and its water is dirty. At any given point of time, a few students suffer from jaundice.
At the heart of the matter, said students, lies plain caste hatred, “a determined effort to display caste superiority.”
The police have registered an FIR under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act. Five persons — Atul Shekhar, Amit Kumar, Ashutosh Kumar, Nupendra Kumar and Shishuranjan Kumar — are under arrest.
Sources told The Hindu that the police initially arrested 10 persons, but high-level manoeuvring facilitated the release of five of them. There are also complaints that while the real fish get away, “legal students” get wrongly implicated in cases.
So acute is the problem of “illegal occupancy” that even authorities are at the end of their tether. Officials put the size of illegal occupants to a whopping 80 per cent.
“The number is so huge that once even the Special Task Force [personnel] was beaten up by them. The unauthorised boys know nothing will happen. PU does not want to interfere. Perhaps they are scared. You need the Rapid Action Force to crack down. They have been staying there for years,” an authoritative source from the university, who did not wish to named, told The Hindu.
The police, on their part, perceive a limited role for themselves in the matter. “We have raised the matter with the university in vain,” they said.
When asked, PU proctor Kirteshwar Prasad told The Hindu: “We are trying to get them vacated. We are on the job. We had written to the administration. We will write to them, namely the senior superintendent of police and the district magistrate, who are the competent authority.”
The incident received biased coverage in the press, according to the Ambedkar hostel students. “The news report in a leading Hindi daily pinned the blame on us. It said we were the ones to attack. Their numbers are huge. How can we possibly attack them” they asked.
An official source concurred. “That report is totally false. We were on the ground, we know what happened. The report paints an entirely wrong picture. The local media has played a very bad role in this.”
Despite arrests, the trouble is far from being over. There are indications that in light of this incident, the Saidpur hostel is looking at acquiring more arms. Financial contributions collected for the upcoming Saraswati puja could provide the means.
The spectre of routine caste violence looms large over the Dalit students. They dare not take the short-cut to the university, as it passes through the Saidpur hostel.
Keywords: Patna University, Dalit students, Bhimrao Ambedkar Welfare Hostel, Bihar Dalits, India caste system, Ranvir Sena
Why then do the caste Hindus get irritated? The reason for their anger
is very simple. Your behavior with them on a par insults them. Your
status is low. You are impure, you must remain at the lowest rung; then
alone they will allow you to live happily. The moment you cross your
level, the struggle starts.
-Dr. Ambedkar
by not publishing my comment u proved me that you are biased and pro
south. god bless!
I think it’s high time to come with a law to remove the word caste, remove all reservation policies; everybody should be identified with blood group, and DNA sequencing. Country Home ministry must ensure that every child must get the common education and get employed. It’s a big call but needed to stop this kind of hate will definitely end.
Are these university hostels (shown in photos)? That too in historical places like Gaya, Nalanda and Patna? My goodness! I just can't swallow this fact. Does Saidpur hostel also look like this or any better?
So Mukhiya rules the roost even after his death?! His preachings of Dalit servitude are still echoing in the temples of modern education even after he lived long years behind bars!
Now I wonder whether Brahmeswar Mukhiya is kept in jail for his own protection. He was such a cruel anti-Dalit protagonist that he justified killing dalit children and women saying that they deserved death for being future naxalites and future birth givers of naxalites respectively.
For sometime, media has been boasting about Nitish's rule of giving Bihar its due development. This news once again proves that so called development of neo-liberal strains is nothing but a sham to the people of oppressed sections.
The reality of our country, very sad. What kind of citizens are we going
to produce in our universities if our students cant even respect a
fellow human being.
High time for Mr. Nitish Kumar to act.
I hope the Supreme court or High Court take congnisance of the matter.
Bihar lies in the rich gangetic delta and the farming lands are irrigated by perennial rivers. And it's also rich in mineral wealth. Then how it happened that these people living in such a squalid conditions?. forget about caste. If we cannot do away with it let it be. how caste can be a criteria for anyone to be poor?. Opportunities are open to all in the democratic India. And for a naturally rich state like Bihar it should not be a problem to take care of their people very well notwithstanding caste differences.
This makes very sad reading.Its another blot on so called Ancient Civilisation that India is proud of.
Is it upper caste insecurity that makes them behave in such irrational and violent way? Is it the empowerment education bestows on the Dalits that makes them worried?
It may just be petty student vote bank politics. The nations future political leaders are bred and nourished in these so called centres of learning.
I hope our relligious leaders will enlighten the people of who a true Human is , Character that shapes a true person in the eyes of God. Truth , goodwill , fortitude , nonviolence, goodness etc. Its all there in there ancient texts of India.
Last many decades few journalists like this have targetted a particular community and have demonised them as the biggest enemy of dalits. But this community has done for the welfare and education of the dalits is unparallel, can not be matched by anyone till this earth has even a single life . . .
It is very shocking to read that upper caste students are attacking the
Dalit students without any provoking from Dalits. Getting education is
the fundamental right of every citizen of this country. So Bihar
must take stern action against those students who intimidate others on
the basis of caste.
Very pathetic to note that after years of humiliation & suppression our dalit brothers don't understand what is hiduism. The high caste hindus never ever accept this low caste people as hindus and these people are protector of animals and make law to protect & punish the people who behave cruel with animals But on the other hand they enjoy by showing their cruelty with low caste people and they don't recognize them as human beings.Their condition very unfortunate compare to animals in india.
From the insight of the pictures captured,it is such a shameful situation that people are assaulting Harijans who are deprived of even the very basic living. A social change is required in the mindset of all to call ourselves really secular and socialists.
Great hostel for Dalits, very upscale indeed.
The state has been a hotbed of notoreity over the years and adding to that now cast hatred.I was shocked to read the comments of the perpetrators that Dalit have no right for education and they should remain as slaves as they once were-what a pathetic thought -even worse when it comes from students.People don't realise the fact that in India everyone can have access to education and there are civil rights .Where is the authoriy to nab the miscreants and book them under law.This is really ridiculous and if the problem has gone to this far,it is only due to the incapability of the authority.
The report is about a mob who question the equality of dalits and the condemnation of them as perpetual servants. Now some sources will complain, the dalit organisations will take up the matter It is possible , if the authorities and police want, to punish the guilty. Politics and power and influence and money will work. My suggestion may sound odd or impracticable. I suggest that at least five or ten who are found involved in the attack may be brought and kept in a separate accommodation and they should be counselled by few really secular and patriotic professors. Also they should be made aware of the teachings of religions like Hinduism, Christianity and Islam about love, humanity, compassion ,tolerance etc.I am sure most of them will understand their earlier stand and will become assets to the community.
The report is very disturbing, especially when Nitish government in Bihar is claiming improvement in law and order. If it is true, it deserves immediate corrective action. The report appears unbelievable and biased though, as it reports only one side of the story. Moreover, a violence where just three persons are injured does not deserve to occupy the front page of a national daily. Reporting this story and blacking out Modi's lecture in SRCC, Delhi shows The Hindu in very poor light.
This is the reality..and people question why the 60+ years of reservation in jobs and education has not yielded result.Such discrimination on the part of people, police, media and administration is very unfortunate. Instead of cooperating with this poor section of society the upper cast people has only raised their hatred and antipathy towards these people. There are others likes of PMK in Tamil Nadu who are asking for amending SC/ST act when even such a stringent act is not able to prevent violence against the weakest.
How come the so called Hostel looks like a slum? Why is such
segregation allowed?
This is not the case of only ‘Saidpur hostel’, which has gained notoriety over the years for nurturing hooligans and becoming a virtual den of anti-socials from the landowning Bhumihar caste, particularly from the badlands of Jehanabad district. The same situation prevails more or less in all the University/College hostels of Jharkhand which have become the breeding ground of all kinds anti social elements & 'Yuva NETAS'. It is a matter of great concern that authorities are unable to drive out these so called 'STUDENTS'.
Is this the Indian Civilization that we are boasting about? The treating of human beings worse than animals! Is this how the largest democrazy in the world demonstrate itself by showing the rule of the jungle? Where is the law and governments when these shameful acts on humanity are taking place? Are we living in 21st century or in the dark ages? I am at a loss to find answers for these questions.
The ambience of our society is still caste oriented, and then also few are demanding to remove Caste Reservation. Still awaiting a person like Mr.Ambedkar for the 21st century.
The intimidation, beatings, name calling and the illegal occupancy should have been going for a long time. The State Adminstration, PU administration and the Police apparatus are in the know and will not act unless there is a death or arson. And when they act as the author mentions 'manuvering' lets the real culprit go free and a fall guy takes the rap.
CM Nitish Kumar has many blots on his able administrator image. One of the big ones is PU's treatment of students from the under privelaged section of the soceity.
Nitish, clean up Patna and the other institutions including Darbhanga will fall in line. Not doing so will give Modi the upper hand in the PM stakes.
Well done Nitish Kumar. Before talking about others please think what you are talking. Reality is in front.
The very picture of the University Hostel for Dalits reflects the mind of the authorities.'You are poor and a dalit. This is enough for you' seems to be the attitude. How can this shack be called a hostel? The food will be worse. What are all Dalit MP's and MLA's doing?
When will India come out of dark ages and realise there is no caste and it is utterly
stupid. Gandhiji was right when he said go to villages and develop them. But sadly
that never took place ...,
I am absolutely disgusted by the reported behaviour of Patna University students and 80% squatters at Saidpur hostel. If these "students" ever come abroad, they will be the first to cry, "prejudice", "racism", and "discrimination" if they are not treated with respect.
Clearly, it seems to me that the Jehanabad, Gaya, and Nalanda districts are very crowded and young people are squatting on the university campus and displacing legitimate students. Caste and "race" prejudices are only the outward expression of those who cannot compete with integrity.
These people have learnt nothing from centuries of invasions and abuse of Indians.
My 6 year-old granddaughter wants to visit India for its culture, heritage, and beauty. What should her grandmother and I tell her? Our ancestors left India centuries ago.
This is really deplorable,but the article would have provided more
insight if they could have interviewed some students from the Saidpur
hostel.It could be that these students may have some grievances as well.
At present , we cant eliminate the suspicion that the witnesses and so
called victims are providing one side of the story
i had lived in patna and heard about these caste clashes but since i was busy with my study and my father had forewarned me against such things so i consciously avoided anything which breeds hatred and contempt for others , which denies others the right to equality and dignity. Thanks god i moved to the next phase of my life ... in hindsight i think that people should understand the true meaning of courage . the courage lies in standing up for others' right and honour and not in violence
against others especially marginalised section... i feel sorry
for it !! landlord word is slightly exaggerated and most of us are small peasants though we employ labors from other castes for farming... due to maoist threat in jehanabad ares these caste groups derive sympathy from their castemen , same is not the case within north bihar--i fortunately belong to North Bihar..
This is how happens in india against the lower caste people.The people
from upper caste no matter how much they are literate will always
dominate the lower caste people.I wonder if there were no sc/st
act,how would treat to the lower caste people.Even if we have strong
law, still people get harassed and still many people are against the sc/st act.The failure of administration and police to act against the culprit again shows the loophole in the equality before law.It is just paper right for many sc/st and dalits in rural,no matter how strong law,if the administration and police does not act,it becomes just useless for those people.
I had been in Patna for few years in 90s even then Saidpur hostel's
hooligans were like this in creating nauseant to neighborhood and now
perhaps it has become more worse.Here, Nitish govt's policies are
totally biased and based on perfect political analysis, where there is
chance of hand burn they just stay off the issue like, it was total
anarchy in capital Patna when founder of banned Ranbir sena Muhkiya was shot dead and state DGP accepted that they were asked to not act against maniac mob who reportedly destroyed Dalit houses, hostel, crops and burned 50 crore state property. Govt. did not want to act against wealthy dominant caste groups for vested political interest.
what a shame on the face of Bihar govt's good governance claim.
More or less same situation in my city (jodhpur) also, where a particular caste in rajasthan with surname 'singh' are doing same things what bhumihars in bihar. Known as "char no. hostel" has the reputation as 'Saidpur hostel' where all illegal activities are going on.
What is painful that contitution has provided 22.5% officers in administration from SC+ST category... still they do nothing.
Dalit students should left all bramhanical tradition of 'Saraswati puja' or this puja that puja and must focus on their empowerment.
The culprits must be booked. But only after the detailed investigation.
Social Justice should be prevailed as each citizen of India,
irrespective of his caste or religion is equal before law. any one
violating the rules and regulation must be booked. But the
administration must be very careful in execution of law and it always
be kept in mind that the 'real fish' should be punished. anything
regarding this particular matter may only be said after knowing the
ground reality by some impartial third party.
our system and society has an efficient administration which will do
the needful to maintain the law and order. We, the common people, have
full faith in our system, democracy, administration, functionaries,
bureaucrats, politicians, Police and other concerned officials.
this is also a major problem in engineering & medical colleges(i know first hand about delhi) - where sc/st students (or if they look like one) are abused and told to leave the college and hostel.
Unbelievable! Where are we heading to? Shell shocked to read something like this.
This is shocking! Just when we thought that Mr. Nitish Kumar was restoring some order in the state. Nothing less than a high level probe and swift punitive action against these 'upper-caste' miscreants can be accepted if the country has any conscience.
The feeling that one can get away with anything is what breeds such behaviour. Lower castes, the poor, women can all be preyed upon with impunity. Unless this sort of behaviour receives immediate and condign punishment, we are looking forward to some entrepreneur among the students setting up a Patna version of the Shiv Sena. If we look at the growth the Thackeray clan and their hangers on achieved in terms of ill-gotten wealth and power and assume that this will not happen in Patna, then we are insulting the intelligence and entrepreneurship of the Biharis. It is obvious that the miscreants enjoy patronage from the establishment. An assaulted woman might inspire outrage and candle-lit vigils. Not the Harijans - they are not part of "us" that we may feel more than a fleeting sympathy.
Is that photograph a hostel? Many slums are in much better condition. In rural India, Harijan bastis are on the windward side so that their polluted breath does not come to us. Same here?
This is perhaps the most comprehensive report that has been published on any particular issue -- the Government and the Courts can take cognisance of the report and start taking action. That one particular national hindi daily published a fake report blaming Dalits is on expected lines -- their ilk are sitting in some TV studios and elsewhere and are talking about so-called draconian SC/ST attrocities act -- really what use is that law for if nobody is going to take any action?
Swami Vivekananda had said more than a century ago the downtrodden, the poor do not have any friends -- I would be eagerly watching to see if it is still true.
So Sad.... And they say giving reservation to these people is a crime.
Let them come to your social level and then talk....
Please Email the Editor