CPI: 96 houses of Mahadalits burned in Khagaria village

PATNA: The houses of 96 Musahar families were burned causing death to 15 goats and two calves of cows as the terrified victims of Chhamisia Musahari under Sadar block of Khagaria district fled the village on Wednesday, state CPI secretariat member Ram Babu Kumar said after the party’s four-member probe team visited the village on Friday. The incident was the result of a battle for supremacy between the rival gangs of Munna Yadav and Chhabila Yadav, he said.Five persons have been arrested.
Chhabila of Chhamisia Musahari under the Morkahi police station of Khagaria district and Munna of Raghunathpur in neighbouring Sahebpur Kamal block of Begusarai district have been at loggerheads for some time, said Kumar. “On Wednesday night, around 50 supporters of Munna entered Chhamisia and sprinkled kerosene on the hutments and torched them,” he said.
Alleging partisan role of Morkahi police station, Kumar said the police became active only on Friday and the district administration announced Rs9,800 relief to each affected family.
Kumar said the situation was still tense and those who fled the village were unwilling to return due to lack of security. He said the party’s state secretary, Satya Narayan Singh, was camping there.
Meanwhile, state CPI(ML) secretary Kunal and politburo member Dhirendra Kumar Jha condemned the incident and constituted a two-member team led by MLA Sudama Prasad and Khet Majdoor Sangh senior functionary Gopal Ravidas to inquire into it. They would also probe the Friday police firing in Samastipur which claimed one life.