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Bihar simmers in communal tension amid Ram Navami celebrations

Sanchita Kadam

Bihar reported several instances of attacks on Muslims, destruction of their property, looting of homes, destruction of a mosque and a madrassa as well during Ram Navami celebrations and even after. Oit has been reported that in the Mochi Tola area of Sasaram, Bihar, a bomb-like explosion was heard but the police could not confirm if it was a fire-cracker or an actual bomb. At least 43 people have been arrested and residents have claimed that they have heard chants of ‘Jai shree Ram’ all around. On Saturday, 5 people were injured after a bomb blast in Sasaram and the police denied any communal angle to it.

Since last year there is an uncomfortable wariness when one comes to know that a religious procession is being organized. It is likely that such processions will end up in “clashes” between two communities. The common thread in all these “clashes” is that stones were pelted, some police personnel were injured and some slogans raised, while the victim is always the minority community. The narrative usually revolves around, why did the minority community pelt stones in the first place, they are the ones who instigated the crowd and the resultant violence ensued.

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In Bihar Sharif, 110 year old Madrassa Aziza in Nalanda district of Bihar was burnt down by a Hindutva mob due to which 4,500 books were reduced to ashes. The mob threw petrol bombs into the mosque while chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

What was burnt down along with the books was the legacy of the institution which was established by Bibi Sogra, a well known philanthropist, in memory of her husband, Abdul Aziz. The attacks took place in the afternoon, in broad daylight, however, the police reached the spot at 11 pm, reported Maktoob media. The caretaker of the madrassa told the publication that the library had really old and rare books including Tafsirs of the Holy Quran.

There were disturbing visuals of the mosque burning in flames nas young men with saffron bands tied around the foreheads look on:

There is also a video showing Hindutva mob climbing atop the mosque and waving saffron flag.

“We had just finished Friday prayers when violence erupted at Gagan Diwan locality near Hotel City Palace. A mob then entered the madrasa and started hurling stones. A member of the mosque’s peace committee was threatened and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. They threw petrol bombs into the mosque and the library, and set vehicles parked on the premises on fire,” Mohd Siyabuddin, the Imam of the mosque, told The Hindu. He added that two children were also trapped in the room and had they not reached there on time, they could have died. The madrasa, spread over six acres with 450 students, was closed for Ramzan, but the miscreants entered the campus by breaking the lock, reported The Hindu.

Further, in Sasaram a Hindutva mob allegedly looted and burnt houses of Muslims and a victim claimed that 50 police personnel were present when this happened. The police allegedly asked the victims to leave their burning homes and run. While speaking to local news channel Bihar Tak, Sajjad was distraught and said that he was simply a laborer and looted and burnt down his house as the police watched.


In Munger, offensive slogans were raised by Hindutva mobs riding on bikes as they were riding through a Muslim locality. They raised slogans of Jai Shree Ram and also “Jai Shri Ram Bolo, Miya Ko Kato. Jai Shri Ram Bolo Miya ki Topi Utaro”.  A resident while speaking to a media person said that even the BJP MLA of Munger, Pranav Yadav was riding on one of these bikes as they were brandishing swords and were hitting shops with these swords on their way. He said there were more than 100 bikes that went through the area on Friday.

A reportage from The Observer Post showed women from Bihar Sharif alleging that the police misbehaved with them and took away their valuables from their homes. She said that at night they came and held women’s hands, molested them and looted their valuables, jewellery. She said that the men were chased away and curfew was imposed so just women were left at home alone. She said they abused them and used demeaning slurs. Another woman said that a policeman entered their home forcibly and took her son away and when they said they were keeping Roza and they should avoid this commotion, the boy was taken away by the police, while the policeman abused the elderly woman. They took all those without seeing who is innocent and who is not. Another older woman said that the police broke the locks of homes and looted them taking away all money, valuables etc.

Image Courtesy: thewire.in

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