BJD siding with Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra has Meher community restive

The Bhulias besides engaging in traditional caste-based weaving profession are also a flourishing trading community and economically sound.
State minister Dibya Shankar Mishra with the prime suspect Gobinda Sahu at Anchalika Mahavidyalaya in Mahaling. (Photo | Express)
State minister Dibya Shankar Mishra with the prime suspect Gobinda Sahu at Anchalika Mahavidyalaya in Mahaling. (Photo | Express)

BHAWANIPATNA: Hundreds of people from the Kalahandi Meher Samaj on Thursday joined a four-km-long rally from Baldiamal to Junagarh before staging demonstration in front of the block development office to express their anguish over the brutal murder of Mamita Meher.

The outfit said, there is widespread resentment in the community. “We demand a CBI probe to unearth conspiracy in the crime and alleged links of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra with the main accused,” working president of the Samaj  Santosh Meher said.

On the face of it, the rally might appear to be a natural outrage of the community but it also brings a deeper sense of unease to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Observers say the ruling party’s decision to throw its weight behind the Minister has hurt the Mehers who are an influential weavers’ community in western Odisha.

Known for the handloom legacy, the Mehers have a distinct position among communities which have adopted weaving as a profession over generations. Among them, the Bhulia-Meher caste is known for its tie and dye craftsmanship and has gone on to bring many laurels to the State.

Geographically, they are distributed along western parts of Odisha in Bargarh, Sambalpur, Balangir, Subarnapur, Nuapada and Kalahandi districts. Historians say the Mehers migrated from Central India and have a distinct identity and unity. The group affiliation of the caste is very strong and the community is rich, both culturally as well as in literary field.

The Bhulias besides engaging in traditional caste-based weaving profession are also a flourishing trading community and economically sound. It is their substantial representation in the electorate that has left the BJD on the defensive after the Mamita Meher incident because the ruling dispensation senses that the Opposition could mobilise their sentiment with elections on the way.

The Bhulias spread across the region and with social unity can influence elections. In Kalahandi district’s Junagarh Assembly constituency, which Minister Mishra represents, the Bhulia population is around 20,000 to 25,000 in Junagarh and Golamunda blocks. 

Similarly, in Nuapada district, Sinapali, Bhuliasikuan, Hatibandha, Bargaon, Duajhar and Tukla are Bhulia-dominated areas. Balangir’s Patnagarh, Degaon, Agalpur, Rampur have Bhulias in substantial numbers can change election equations. 

In Patnagarh, during the last Assembly election, the way Saroj Meher, a candidate belonging to Bhulia community could defeat KV Singhdeo of BJP was an instance of Bhulia unity. In Degaon block’s Dungripali, Barkani, Hatisara, Tebramunda, Salepali and Jarasingha and Tushra, the community has a strong presence.

Similar is their demographic strength in Birmaharajpur, Tarbha, Mendha and Dungripali areas of Subarnapur district, as well as in Barpali and Bargarh of Bargarh district and many areas of Sambalpur.
Political observers say, the Mamita Meher case has shocked the Bhulias and there is strong reaction in the community.

Besides, there is also a growing discontentment among them since as an OBC, it has not got due reservation in proportion to their population. This, in many areas, can also influence their choice.After the Mamita Meher incident, both BJP and Congress are trying to gain inroads but the saffron party may be in advantage in many of the Bhulia-dominated areas in the ensuing panchayat elections. 

Meanwhile, the Meher Samaj has sought a fair and speedy trial so that justice is served to the lady teacher and demanded support for the victim’s family. It also demanded that Mahaling Stadium - where she was buried after being murdered – be named after Mamita.A bigger rally is planned by the Meher Samaj in Bhawanipatna on Friday.

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