Bihar: As a group of Dalits torch Nawada Dalit Colony over land dispute, usual suspects peddle misinformation, further ‘caste atrocity’ narrative

One group of Dalits resides in the area, while another group of Dalits have been claiming the land, which is owned by the Bihar govt. Around 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening, members from the group asserting their claim over the colony stormed the settlement and set it ablaze

On Wednesday, September 19, reports emerged that a Dalit settlement in Krishna Nagar village under the Mufassil police station area in Bihar’s Nawada district was set ablaze by a group of Dalit individuals over a long-standing land dispute. Several media reports suggest the fire engulfed between 80 to 100 homes. The Nawada police, however, confirmed that the attack led to the destruction of as many as 20-25 houses in the colony.

The police confirmed that the incident arose from a long-standing land dispute.

One group of Dalits resides in the area, while another group of Dalits have been claiming the land, which is owned by the Bihar government. Around 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening, members from the group asserting their claim over the colony stormed the settlement and set it ablaze. The police arrested 10 people based on the information gathered from the villagers.

The tragic incident in the Dalit colony was rooted in a land dispute between members of the Paswan and Majhi communities, both Dalit groups. Sources confirmed that Nandu Paswan, a prominent figure from the nearby Pranbigha village, along with his associates, instigated the fire and violence.

Despite, all facts being there out in the open, members of the opposition parties and the usual suspects of the leftist and the anti-Modi cabal, in their endeavour to attack the NDA government in Bihar, seized the opportunity to spread misinformation. They took to X to push the ‘caste atrocity’ narrative, despite the incident’s origins being a local land issue.

Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Indian National Congress and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha took to X to present half-truths in an attempt to criticize the NDA government led by CM Nitish Kumar regarding the incident. In his haste to train guns at the current dispensation in Bihar, the senior Congress leader overlooked the fact that this unfortunate incident arose from a personal land dispute between two factions of Dalits.

“The terror unleashed by goons on the Mahadalit settlement in Nawada, Bihar, is yet another proof of the jungle raj under the NDA’s double-engine government. It is highly condemnable that around 100 Dalit homes were set on fire, gunshots were fired, and everything was taken from poor families under the cover of darkness,” Kharge posted in Hindi.

Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav also took to X to criticize Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the incident. He joined in fanning the ‘Dalit atrocity’ narrative, warning that such atrocities against Dalits will not be tolerated. Tejashwi Yadav conveniently overlooked the fact that the attack was perpetrated by members of one Dalit faction against another, driven by personal enmity rather than a broader caste-based issue.

In a social media post, the RJD leader said, “Great Jungle Raj! Great Rule of Demons! Great Rule of Monsters! More than 100 Dalit homes were set on fire in Nawada. Under the rule of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, Bihar is burning everywhere. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is unconcerned, NDA allies are oblivious! The poor burn and die—what do they care? Atrocities against Dalits will not be tolerated.”

Several Congress supporters also fueled the ‘Dalit atrocity’ narrative to criticize the Bihar Government, conveniently overlooking that the fire was ignited by another Dalit faction due to a long-standing land dispute.

Interestingly, one member of this Congress fan club who goes by the username ‘Love Rahul Gandhi’, in her eagerness to criticize the Modi government, even went so far as to blame the RSS for the incident.

Some members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) seized the opportunity to criticize the incumbent NDA government in Bihar in light of the incident, expressing concern over alleged ‘Dalit atrocities’.

“Eighty houses were set ablaze following gunfire in Mahadalit Tola in Bihar’s Nawada…The suffering of Dalits is solely their own, not a concern for the nation! In regions where the BJP governs, Dalits and backward classes will be denied even the right to breathe! There’s an uproar in Bihar, yet Nitish Kumar remains indifferent!” read Priyanka Bharti’s post in Hindi. Priyanka Bharti serves as the National spokesperson for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Sarika Paswan, who identifies as the State spokesperson and state secretary of the RJD on her X bio, lamented that Dalit atrocities have become commonplace under NDA rule in Bihar. Without verifying the facts, the RJD leader warned that such atrocities against Dalits would not be tolerated.

Many supporters of the Bhim Army, which has frequently been criticized for staging a farce in its advocacy for Dalit rights, also took to X to push the ‘Dalit atrocity’ narrative.

“The flames of injustice continue to rage in Nawada, Bihar as more than 80 houses of Dalits were burnt in a land dispute. This is not just a dispute, but a blatant act of oppression & discrimination against a dalit community,” posted @deepali_writes, who identifies herself as a staunch Ambedkerite on X.