During the Ram Navami celebrations in Bihar’s Nalanda district’s Bihar Sharif area, violence took place during the procession. Now, the Bihar Police is holding the Hindus responsible for the Ram Navami violence that took place. Police is claiming that a WhatsApp group was created to coordinate the violence. Police is holding the local Bajrang Dal leader Kundan Kumar responsible for the violence.
However, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (South Bihar) district head Kameshwar Choupal has termed this preplanned violence an administrative failure. He has said that as per directions of the state government, this conspiracy is floated to give a bad name to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and other such Hindu organisations.
Choupal is also a member of the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He has also been a member of the Bihar state legislative council. He was the one who laid the first brick in the foundation of Ram Janmabhoomi temple on 9th November 1989. Speaking to OpIndia, Choupal said, “We had kind of expected this. What Bihar Police is saying today the same thing was said by Nitish Kumar and Rabri Devi right after the violence and without any investigation.”
Questioning the intentions of Bihar Police and state administration, he said that investigation should be carried out by central agencies or through an SIT. In this regard, on Monday, April 10, 2023, a delegation of the VHP even met the Governor. They asked for a high level inquiry on the violence that took place on Ram Navami in Rohtas, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, Gaya and other parts of the state.
The questions Choupal is raising about the violence has also been discussed on social media. People are unable to comprehend that in a Hindu festival, where Hindus are celebrating, but are also being attacked and dying, their property is being destroyed – how would Hindus then conspire for violence? The police administration that failed to stop the violence immediately and even questions were raised regarding their role in violence and their investigation has also led to same conclusion as state government had already suggested. Let us try and understand the chronology of events at Bihar Sharif.
Ram Navam violence in Bihar Sharif
On 31 March, 2023, a Shobha Yatra (procession) was carried out on Ram Navami in Bihar Sharif. When it reached a mosque near Diwanganj area, stones were pelted on the procession. Shots were fired and things were set ablaze too. 17 year old Gulshan Kumar died during the firing during the communal violence.
Eyewitness accounts of those injured in the violence
Vikas, brother of Gulshan Kumar who was killed in the violence spoke to a media house and said that both of them had stepped out to get some ration and groceries. They were returning home when firing took place near the masjid. Gulshan was shot at and he fell down there. People there helped him reach the hospital but he could not be saved. Then in name of postmortem, Bihar Police kept stalling till late night.
As per Vikas, Bihar Police even verbally abused him. When he tried to record the police behaviour towards him on his phone camera, police allegedly snatched away his phone. He was also not allowed to get in touch with his family members.
Right behind Sogra college in Bihar Sharif, some Hindu shops were burnt. Witnesses told a media house that a mob of about 50-60 people armed with petrol bombs had descended and started looting the shops. Despite repeated requests to officials, the fire brigades arrived hours late by then everything had turned to ashes. Witnesses also allege that when the mob was unleashing violence on them, the police administration was aware of the same. They had even gone to the police station to seek help but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
While interacting with one media house, some women alleged that Hindus were leaving their homes. However, eventually Bihar Police had denied the allegations. These women had alleged that after the violence, the police entered their homes and took away the men. Women had also raised concerns regarding their own safety. They accused the police of penalising the Hindus, abusing them and making them leave the police station.
These are some of the allegations. More allegations made against the Bihar Police are viral on social media. All these viral videos are questioning the role of police administration. They also, in as many words, allege that the attack on Ram Navami processions took place in Muslim dominated area.
Claims by Bihar Police on violence in Bihar Sharif
Bihar Police DG (Headquarter) Jitendra Singh Gawar, on 9 April, 2023 said that the Bihar Sharif violence was well planned conspiracy.
Kundan Kumar, the convenor of Bajrang Dal has surrendered as the mastermind of this social media. Apart from this, a total of 15 FIRs have been registered in Bihar Sharif, in which a total of 140 arrests have been made: Jitendra Singh Gawar, ADG, Headquarters pic.twitter.com/nQp17LEJ1q
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2023
He said that a WhatsApp group of about 457 people was created through which problematic and inflammatory statements were circulated. He accused Bajrang Dal leader Kundan Kumar of being a mastermind in it. He said that Economic Offenses Research Team has also filed a separate FIR and is carrying out the investigation. Moreover, over 140 people were arrested.
Bihar Police has issued a statement in which it said that an FIR has been registered against 15 people by EOU. It said that under a well planned conspiracy, misleading messages were floated against one particular community. It said that they have arrested on Manish Kumar, Tushar Kumar, Dharmendra Mehta, Bhupendra Singh Rana and Niranjan Pandey. They further said that five mobile phones were seized from them which were allegedly used to upload the content.
Why questions are being raised on Bihar Police’s claims
Speaking to OpIndia, Kameshwar Choupal said, “It has been a tradition that procession is carried out on Ram Navami, Hanuman Janmotsav and Durga Puja. For this purpose, proper permission is also taken from the administration. In Bihar Sharif case also same process was followed. DM, SP and SDM were present in the meeting. Police station heads had also held a meeting regarding this. Peace committee meeting also took place. During the meetings it was discussed which routes are communally sensitive and which could be taken and which could be avoided.
The place where the violence took place was communally sensitive. The place where attack took place was also sensitive. During the meetings, the kind of security arrangement that the administration promised was not seen on ground on the day of the procession. Some women police officials were also deployed. When the procession was attacked, these women police officials themselves saved their lives by hiding behind Bajrang Dal members. If the procession was being carried out from that lane then you could not imagine the destruction that would have taken place.”
If these allegations are to be believed one thing is clear that the Ram Navami violence is an administrative failure on part of Bihar Police. But soon after violence, the state administration got working to put the blame of attack on Hindus on Hindus. Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav tried to put the blame on the RSS for the violence.
बिहार में सद्भाव बिगाड़ने की संघी कोशिश पर बिहार सरकार की पैनी नज़र है। जिन राज्यों में BJP कमजोर है वहाँ बौखलाई हुई है।
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) April 2, 2023
एक-एक उपद्रवी को चिन्हित कर कठोरतम कारवाई की जा रही है। भाईचारे को तोड़ने के किसी भी भाजपाई ‘प्रयोग’ का हमने हमेशा माकूल जवाब दिया है और देते रहेंगे।जय हिन्द
In a tweet on 2 April, 2023, Yadav put the blame on the RSS for the communal violence. Similarly, his mother and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi claimed that the BJP is perpetrating the violence. She had claimed that the government will carry out investigation and then all things will be clear. Similarly, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar had called the violence a ‘conspiracy’ and tried to blame BJP and Asaduddin Owaisi for the violence.
Do keep in mind that all these allegations of putting the blame on the BJP and Hindus for violence had started long before any investigation even took place.
All these allegations on Hindus started on the day Nitish Kumar attended an iftar party in Phulwara Sharif where his picture was shown with a Red Fort background. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from Red Fort on 15th August every year on Independence Day. Nitish Kumar has long held dreams of becoming India’s Prime Minister.
Nitish Kumar was also criticised for attending iftar amid violence. After this iftar party, his alliance partner RJD also organised and iftar party. On the other hand when questions were raised on the violence in the state assembly, BJP leader Jivesh Mishra was taken out of the house by marshals. He said that when he asked Nitish Kumar to come to the Assembly and answer questions pertaining to attacks on Hindus on Hindu festivals, he was thrown out unceremoniously like that.
Is Bihar Police throwing Hindus under the bus?
When OpIndia asked Kameshwar Choupal if there was any truth to police having evidence against Hindus for inciting violence, he replied, “The police is under the Bihar government. When the government has declared Hindus guilty without investigation, how will the police say anything different from that. Police can implicate anyone if they want. They can plant evidence like weapons and can file a case under the Arms Act.”
Questioning the capability and impartiality of the Bihar Police, he said that the Ram Navami violence in the entire state should be investigated by a central agency or headed by a High Court judge. The attack on the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra is a failure of the police. Getting the same police to investigate is like getting the culprit to investigate the matter.
Choupal further said, “There have been arrests from Bihar in terror attacks across the country. In 2013, there were blasts in Patna before the rally of the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the Bihar Police never gets a clue of the terrorists present in the state. But in Bihar Sharif, the police found conspirators and evidence in a jiffy? Phulwari Sharif and Bihar Sharif may have ‘Sharif’ in their names but everyone knows that these places are the headquarters of Islamic fundamentalism. Even after the revelation of PFI’s anti-national conspiracy in Phulwarai Sharif, the fundamentalists are active in these places. Is it just a coincidence that after this revelation, the government in Bihar changed and now Hindu festivals are under attack.”
Bihar Police repeats what OIC says
Organization of Islamic Cooperation i.e. OIC, an organization of Muslim countries, had also blamed the violence of Bihar Sharif on Hindus. It had said in a statement, “The OIC Secretariat is concerned at the incidents of violence and vandalism targeting the Muslim community in several states of India during the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra. A mob of radical Hindus set ablaze the madrasa and library in Bihar Sharif on 31 March.” On this statement, the Government of India lambasted the OIC and described its statement as a sample of religious thinking and anti-India agenda. The claims that the Bihar Police is now making are similar to calling Hindus ‘radicals’ and Muslims ‘victims’.
It is also a strange coincidence that after the violence on Ram Navami in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Hindus. Now a fact-finding team comprising a former HC judge has blamed the police for the violence, terming it well-planned. Along with this, the NIA inquiry into the violence has been called necessary. There is also a similarity in both the states that opposition leaders are being prevented from visiting the violence affected areas. According to Choupal, this is being done deliberately with the intention of winning the trust of the Muslim vote bank before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and dividing the Hindus.
