DARPAN Singh
Patna, August 21
WITH THE passing away of shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, many of his wishes have, sadly, been put to rest forever at his birthplace Dumraon. Often accused of not introducing himself as a native of Bihar, the shehnai maestro had once told this correspondent: “Koi apni paidaish ki jagah ko kaise bhool sakta hai. Meri khwahish hai ki us jagah ko ek nazar dekh loon. (How can anyone forget his place of birth? I wish I could have one last look at it before I am dead).” In the recent past, several efforts were made to bring him over to his birthplace. However, despite his keenness, this undying wish of his could never be fulfilled for one reason or another.Born on March 21, 1916, in a poor family of professional shehnai players in the employ of the erstwhile Dumraon Estate, Bismillah Khan spent his childhood playing ‘gilli danda’ near the famous Chhatiya pond. Till very recently, he would attribute his good health to the regular intake of lentils produced in Dumraon.His father, Paigambar Bux, more popularly known as Bachai Miyan, grandfather, Rasul Bux, and great-grandfather, Hussain Bux, were all employees of Dumraon Raj. He learnt the three Rs at the Urdu School located near Naya Talab. During his childhood, Bismillah Khan used to play shehnai at the Bihariji temple and get ration and Rs 1.50 for it from the Estate.His friend, Jehangir Khan, who spent his childhood with the maestro and still lives in Dumraon, recalls: “Every time he sang the Bhojpuri ‘chaita’ song — Ehi matiya mein bhulail hamar motiya he rama, (It is in this place that I lost my pearl) — at the behest of then Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh, the temple priest would give Bismillah a ‘laddu’ weighing 1.25 kg.”Bismillah was only six when he lost his mother. Soon after, his maternal uncle took him to Varanasi which later came to be known as his workplace. In 2001, when he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, Bismillah Khan had said: “The Government, it seems, has finally begun to acknowledge the contributions made by artists of yesteryears.” However, two chief ministers of Bihar left no stone unturned to prove him wrong. During a felicitation ceremony in Patna a couple of years back, the shehnai wizard requested the then CM, Rabri Devi, to get a community hall built on his ancestral land still left in Dumraon so that it could be used for public purposes. Needless to say, despite the promise made by Rabri, the community hall never came up. And Bismillah did not hide his hurt sentiments either. Talking to this correspondent sometime back, he said, “If the Bihar Government fails to keep its promise, I am capable of getting the work done on my own. If need be, I can talk to the Prime Minister instead.” Not only this, the then CM, Lalu Prasad Yadav, way back in 1994, had laid the foundation stone of a town hall to be built at Dumraon in the shehnai maestro’s honour. However, the construction of the town hall never started. Mobarak Hussain, another octogenarian who spent his childhood with Bismillah, told the HT, “The police department, which owned the land, refused to give it for the town hall. Even the ceremonial plaque was removed the day after the foundation laying function.”Recently, one of Bismillah’s sons also expressed his displeasure over the apathetic attitude of both the State Government and the local administration towards the construction of the town hall and the community hall. Another local resident, Aslam Khan, who runs a private school at Dumraon, lamented, “Though he brought honour to the shehnai and raised its stature in the world of music through the national and international rewards that were showered on him, the people of Bihar never realised the significance of his contributions.”
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Row ‘soils’ CM gift for Mauritius PM
Darpan Singh
Dumraon (Buxar), July 24
EVEN AS Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to fly to Mauritius on Friday next, taking along soil from village Badka Singhanpura under Dumraon subdivision of Buxar district—supposed to be the ancestral village of Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam— as a gift for his host, a controversy is raging in the district over which is the real place where the Mauritius PM has his roots.Suddenly, the residents of another village in the district have started claiming that the Ramgoolams hailed from their village.The Buxar district administration on Tuesday was busy carrying out an investigation to find out if the Ramgoolams actually belonged to Badka Singhanpura. A couple of days back, Nitish had in Patna announced that the village—being the native place of Mauritius PM—would be developed. Officials in Patna seemed satisfied with the claim of the eight villagers taken to the State Capital by Dumraon CO Firoz Akhtar for verification. The village soil was also sent to Patna so that the CM could take it to Mauritius and present the same to the country’s PM.However, the people of Keshopur, an adjacent village, are not ready to accept Badka Singhanpura’s claim to fame.
Dumraon (Buxar), July 24
EVEN AS Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to fly to Mauritius on Friday next, taking along soil from village Badka Singhanpura under Dumraon subdivision of Buxar district—supposed to be the ancestral village of Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam— as a gift for his host, a controversy is raging in the district over which is the real place where the Mauritius PM has his roots.Suddenly, the residents of another village in the district have started claiming that the Ramgoolams hailed from their village.The Buxar district administration on Tuesday was busy carrying out an investigation to find out if the Ramgoolams actually belonged to Badka Singhanpura. A couple of days back, Nitish had in Patna announced that the village—being the native place of Mauritius PM—would be developed. Officials in Patna seemed satisfied with the claim of the eight villagers taken to the State Capital by Dumraon CO Firoz Akhtar for verification. The village soil was also sent to Patna so that the CM could take it to Mauritius and present the same to the country’s PM.However, the people of Keshopur, an adjacent village, are not ready to accept Badka Singhanpura’s claim to fame.
Naxalites blow up police picket, kill jawan
Darpan Singh
Buxar/Patna, January 23
IN A major offensive late on Monday night, activists of the banned CPI (Maoists) blew up a police picket, killed a homeguard jawan and injured two others, besides looting ten .303 calibre rifles and a huge quantity of ammunition at village Itadhi under the same police station of Buxar district. The slain jawan was identified as Suman Ram, a resident of Chandudihra village of Itadhi, who succumbed to his injuries at the Buxar Sadar Hospital. Havildar Ramashankar Singh and jawan Ramanand Singh also sustained injuries in the attack. Ramashankar was later rushed to the PMCH where his condition is reported to be critical. Ramanand is undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital in Buxar. Sources said, at around 10:30 pm, around 50 Naxalites, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and other sophisticated weapons, raided the site where a bridge is being built across Thora river by the State Bridge Construction Corporation. A police picket had earlier been set up by the administration there to provide security to the construction site. The raiding Maoists attacked the police picket. The exchange of fire that followed lasted for about two hours and both sides fired hundreds of rounds during this period. However, the Maoists soon overwhelmed the policemen and looted their rifles and ammunition. Buxar SP Paresh Saxena said that, on receiving information, a police team was rushed from Itadhi police station. The team engaged the retreating Naxalites in a gun battle in which nobody was reported injured or killed. During their operation, the Maoists held hostage around 30 labourers who had been hired for work on the bridge’s construction. All the labourers were later freed. The Naxalites had also laid landmines on both sides of the bridge to blow up police reinforcements but no damage was done as the police later defused them. While retreating, the ultras left behind a few pamphlets on the spot owning responsibility for the incident and declaring that those who took part in the development work being carried out by the district administration would be defying their diktat and would, therefore, meet the same fate as the policemen. The pamphlets further declared that the Maoists would carry out more such operations to loot arms and ammunition from the district police. Some crude bombs were also recovered from the spot.The police picket was set up in February last year to provide security to the construction agency after the Maoists demanded ‘levy’ from it and issued a ‘diktat’ ordering that work on the bridge be stopped. The Buxar SP, who reached the spot in a bulletproof vehicle late in the night, said the Naxalites had used petrol bombs and IEDs during the operation. All the entry and exit points of the district had been sealed and a massive combing operation had been launched to apprehend the Maoists, he said, adding that additional police forces, led by senior officers, had been deployed in Itadhi village. Meanwhile, refuting the Buxar SP’s version of events, homeguard jawans of the district alleged the Itadhi police had not come to their rescue; instead, they had preferred to remain mute spectators to the heavy firing and bombing by the Maoists. Buxar Homeguard Jawans’ Association president Shri Bhagwan Singh said had the reinforcement reached in time, the incident could have been averted. Buxar SP has assured that he would recommend that the next of kin of the slain jawan be paid Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia. Strangely, when Hindustan Times contacted the Buxar District Magistrate on his cell phone at 10:30 am on Tuesday, he feigned ignorance of the incident, saying he was in the State Capital.
Buxar/Patna, January 23
IN A major offensive late on Monday night, activists of the banned CPI (Maoists) blew up a police picket, killed a homeguard jawan and injured two others, besides looting ten .303 calibre rifles and a huge quantity of ammunition at village Itadhi under the same police station of Buxar district. The slain jawan was identified as Suman Ram, a resident of Chandudihra village of Itadhi, who succumbed to his injuries at the Buxar Sadar Hospital. Havildar Ramashankar Singh and jawan Ramanand Singh also sustained injuries in the attack. Ramashankar was later rushed to the PMCH where his condition is reported to be critical. Ramanand is undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital in Buxar. Sources said, at around 10:30 pm, around 50 Naxalites, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and other sophisticated weapons, raided the site where a bridge is being built across Thora river by the State Bridge Construction Corporation. A police picket had earlier been set up by the administration there to provide security to the construction site. The raiding Maoists attacked the police picket. The exchange of fire that followed lasted for about two hours and both sides fired hundreds of rounds during this period. However, the Maoists soon overwhelmed the policemen and looted their rifles and ammunition. Buxar SP Paresh Saxena said that, on receiving information, a police team was rushed from Itadhi police station. The team engaged the retreating Naxalites in a gun battle in which nobody was reported injured or killed. During their operation, the Maoists held hostage around 30 labourers who had been hired for work on the bridge’s construction. All the labourers were later freed. The Naxalites had also laid landmines on both sides of the bridge to blow up police reinforcements but no damage was done as the police later defused them. While retreating, the ultras left behind a few pamphlets on the spot owning responsibility for the incident and declaring that those who took part in the development work being carried out by the district administration would be defying their diktat and would, therefore, meet the same fate as the policemen. The pamphlets further declared that the Maoists would carry out more such operations to loot arms and ammunition from the district police. Some crude bombs were also recovered from the spot.The police picket was set up in February last year to provide security to the construction agency after the Maoists demanded ‘levy’ from it and issued a ‘diktat’ ordering that work on the bridge be stopped. The Buxar SP, who reached the spot in a bulletproof vehicle late in the night, said the Naxalites had used petrol bombs and IEDs during the operation. All the entry and exit points of the district had been sealed and a massive combing operation had been launched to apprehend the Maoists, he said, adding that additional police forces, led by senior officers, had been deployed in Itadhi village. Meanwhile, refuting the Buxar SP’s version of events, homeguard jawans of the district alleged the Itadhi police had not come to their rescue; instead, they had preferred to remain mute spectators to the heavy firing and bombing by the Maoists. Buxar Homeguard Jawans’ Association president Shri Bhagwan Singh said had the reinforcement reached in time, the incident could have been averted. Buxar SP has assured that he would recommend that the next of kin of the slain jawan be paid Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia. Strangely, when Hindustan Times contacted the Buxar District Magistrate on his cell phone at 10:30 am on Tuesday, he feigned ignorance of the incident, saying he was in the State Capital.
Opium factory falls on bad times
Darpan Singh
Ghazipur, April 25
The opium & alkaloid factory as Ghazipur, only the second of its kind in the country, has fallen on bad times. The persistent downward spiral in India’s export of refined opium has taken its toll on the opium-producing farmers of the state. From 649 tones in 1999-2000, the country’s export of refined opium fell to 368 tones in 2004-05. As a result, the government has been reducing the price of Indian opium in the international market to better its export. The procurement price for raw opium has also been brought down. The number of workers in the factory has, over the years, come down to 2,000 from 4000.
Besides, all licensees for opium cultivation in Ghazipur have been cancelled. Only 10 per cent of opium producers have been spared in Barabanki. A sources in the factory said, “The Narcotics Commissioner used to procure 350 tones of opium for the factory which has come down to only 60 tonnes this year.” He attributed it to the dwindling demand/production of opium. Now opium is procured chiefly from Rajasthan.
Set up by the British in 1820, the factory had been earning foreign money to the tune of Rs 70-80 crore per annum. After independence, the Government of India acquired it and it later came under the jurisdiction of Finance Ministry. In 2002-03, the government sanctioned Rs three crore for its modernisation which could never be carried out in a proper way. In January this year, a devastating fire that broke out in the factory reduced a processing unit to ashes and caused damaged estimated at crores of rupees.
Government sources said that the refined opium is exported to US, France, Japan, Iraq and Germany by the Government of India. The value of opium is determined by on the basis of morphine units. One kg of Indian opium has 11 morphine units. An official of the factory said, “Other countries are producing opium with higher morphine count and that is why Indian export market is generally shrinking.” Another official said, “While we continue to rely on age-old technology, countries like Australia and turkey have perfected the art of directly extracting morphine from the opium plant.”
It is alleged that at Ghazipur, a lot of opium is produced and sold off in the black market during transit to the government factories and godowns. It is also alleged that workers while going home manage to take their clothes smeared with opium along with them. They later reportedly sell their clothes as opium! However, a CISF official said all workers while leaving the factory have to take a shower and wash their clothes.
The opium farm lobby, by virtue of the prosperity of its patrons, enjoy great clout among local politicians. No wonder, resentment prevails among MPs and MLAs from opium producing districts, who, cutting across party lines, are now demanding steps to boost the country’s export market. In the poll-bound UP, where parties are baying for each others’ blood over one issue or the other, only opium seems to be the a unifying factor!
Ghazipur, April 25
The opium & alkaloid factory as Ghazipur, only the second of its kind in the country, has fallen on bad times. The persistent downward spiral in India’s export of refined opium has taken its toll on the opium-producing farmers of the state. From 649 tones in 1999-2000, the country’s export of refined opium fell to 368 tones in 2004-05. As a result, the government has been reducing the price of Indian opium in the international market to better its export. The procurement price for raw opium has also been brought down. The number of workers in the factory has, over the years, come down to 2,000 from 4000.
Besides, all licensees for opium cultivation in Ghazipur have been cancelled. Only 10 per cent of opium producers have been spared in Barabanki. A sources in the factory said, “The Narcotics Commissioner used to procure 350 tones of opium for the factory which has come down to only 60 tonnes this year.” He attributed it to the dwindling demand/production of opium. Now opium is procured chiefly from Rajasthan.
Set up by the British in 1820, the factory had been earning foreign money to the tune of Rs 70-80 crore per annum. After independence, the Government of India acquired it and it later came under the jurisdiction of Finance Ministry. In 2002-03, the government sanctioned Rs three crore for its modernisation which could never be carried out in a proper way. In January this year, a devastating fire that broke out in the factory reduced a processing unit to ashes and caused damaged estimated at crores of rupees.
Government sources said that the refined opium is exported to US, France, Japan, Iraq and Germany by the Government of India. The value of opium is determined by on the basis of morphine units. One kg of Indian opium has 11 morphine units. An official of the factory said, “Other countries are producing opium with higher morphine count and that is why Indian export market is generally shrinking.” Another official said, “While we continue to rely on age-old technology, countries like Australia and turkey have perfected the art of directly extracting morphine from the opium plant.”
It is alleged that at Ghazipur, a lot of opium is produced and sold off in the black market during transit to the government factories and godowns. It is also alleged that workers while going home manage to take their clothes smeared with opium along with them. They later reportedly sell their clothes as opium! However, a CISF official said all workers while leaving the factory have to take a shower and wash their clothes.
The opium farm lobby, by virtue of the prosperity of its patrons, enjoy great clout among local politicians. No wonder, resentment prevails among MPs and MLAs from opium producing districts, who, cutting across party lines, are now demanding steps to boost the country’s export market. In the poll-bound UP, where parties are baying for each others’ blood over one issue or the other, only opium seems to be the a unifying factor!
Carpet industry in tatters
Darpan Singh
Bhadohi, April 24
Politics in Bhadohi, nowadays, contributes more to crime and corruption than the world famous carpet industry it is known for. No wonder, the industry, in which lakhs of people are involved, is in tatters.
Sample this: SP MLA Vijay Mishra, who represents Gyanpur constituency, has more than 40 criminal cases pending against him. Bhadohi MLA Dinanath Bhaskar (SP) also ‘boasted’ some cases. But they have now been withdrawn by the Mulayam government.
And now a dubious distinction. SP MLA from Aurai Uday Bhan Singh was the first legislator to have been disqualified by the state assembly. He was disqualified in 2004 following his conviction in a triple murder case that took place in 1999. After his disqualification, his wife Rita Devi contested the by-election and lost to Rangnath Mishra (BSP). She is now contesting Aurai seat as an Apna Dal candidate.
To add to the list, Local BSP MP Narendra Kumar Kushwaha was among the MPs caught taking bribe on camera in 2005.
And there is bandit-turned MP Phoolan Devi who also represented Mizrapur-Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat before she was gunned down. Now, another bandit queen Sima Parihar is joining Bhadohi politics to ‘complete the work left unfinished’ by Phoolan. Sima, who has also acted in a movie loosely based on her life, is contesting the Mirzapur-Bhadohi by-election.
According to a district administration source, out the 40-0dd candidates in fray for the three assembly seats of the district going to the polls on May 3, most of them have criminal background. An aspirant from Gyanpur said, “Merely being accused in criminal cases does not make one a criminal. All governments in UP will fall if you disqualify what you call tainted people.”
However, locals are not impressed. Prakash Mishra, a grocery shop owner, said, “When the MLAs resort to crime and corruption and patronize criminals, the society is well and truly left to the mercy of God.” Police records show that gang wars, extortion, threats, murders and kidnappings are quite a routine here. It was a great shame when Kushwaha was exposed through a sting operation, quipped Mishra.
A carpet exporter Zafar Iqbal said, “With police looking the other way, it is the carpet industry which is feeling the maximum heat.” He cited several recent instances where exporters were butchered and kidnapped when they dared to refuse to ‘oblige’ local goons owing allegiance to one MLA or the other.
A top cop in Bhadohi, however, refused to term the situation as ‘very bad’ but admitted that there had been a mushrooming growth of security agencies over the years whose services were chiefly being availed by terrified exporters. He said, “Some people, who do not believe in police machinery, are trying to buy peace by paying up to these agencies. But with criminals patronized by the local politicians calling the shots and the annual turn over of the carpet business running into crores of rupees, can the hapless exporters really be blamed?
Bhadohi, April 24
Politics in Bhadohi, nowadays, contributes more to crime and corruption than the world famous carpet industry it is known for. No wonder, the industry, in which lakhs of people are involved, is in tatters.
Sample this: SP MLA Vijay Mishra, who represents Gyanpur constituency, has more than 40 criminal cases pending against him. Bhadohi MLA Dinanath Bhaskar (SP) also ‘boasted’ some cases. But they have now been withdrawn by the Mulayam government.
And now a dubious distinction. SP MLA from Aurai Uday Bhan Singh was the first legislator to have been disqualified by the state assembly. He was disqualified in 2004 following his conviction in a triple murder case that took place in 1999. After his disqualification, his wife Rita Devi contested the by-election and lost to Rangnath Mishra (BSP). She is now contesting Aurai seat as an Apna Dal candidate.
To add to the list, Local BSP MP Narendra Kumar Kushwaha was among the MPs caught taking bribe on camera in 2005.
And there is bandit-turned MP Phoolan Devi who also represented Mizrapur-Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat before she was gunned down. Now, another bandit queen Sima Parihar is joining Bhadohi politics to ‘complete the work left unfinished’ by Phoolan. Sima, who has also acted in a movie loosely based on her life, is contesting the Mirzapur-Bhadohi by-election.
According to a district administration source, out the 40-0dd candidates in fray for the three assembly seats of the district going to the polls on May 3, most of them have criminal background. An aspirant from Gyanpur said, “Merely being accused in criminal cases does not make one a criminal. All governments in UP will fall if you disqualify what you call tainted people.”
However, locals are not impressed. Prakash Mishra, a grocery shop owner, said, “When the MLAs resort to crime and corruption and patronize criminals, the society is well and truly left to the mercy of God.” Police records show that gang wars, extortion, threats, murders and kidnappings are quite a routine here. It was a great shame when Kushwaha was exposed through a sting operation, quipped Mishra.
A carpet exporter Zafar Iqbal said, “With police looking the other way, it is the carpet industry which is feeling the maximum heat.” He cited several recent instances where exporters were butchered and kidnapped when they dared to refuse to ‘oblige’ local goons owing allegiance to one MLA or the other.
A top cop in Bhadohi, however, refused to term the situation as ‘very bad’ but admitted that there had been a mushrooming growth of security agencies over the years whose services were chiefly being availed by terrified exporters. He said, “Some people, who do not believe in police machinery, are trying to buy peace by paying up to these agencies. But with criminals patronized by the local politicians calling the shots and the annual turn over of the carpet business running into crores of rupees, can the hapless exporters really be blamed?
Of a poor candidate and 'cop campaigning'
Darpan Singh
Bhadohi, April 27
Ravikant Gautam is a candidate with a difference. Contesting from the Bhadohi assembly seat on a National Loktantrik Party ticket, Gautam, unlike other candidates in fray, has only a handful of party supporters and absolutely no big name to stump for him.
In the name of ‘resources’, all he can boast of are the two UP policemen that the district administration has provided him for security. Talking to HT, Gautam, in a lighter vein, said, “Since I do not have any vehicle, I sometimes use their (the security guards’) motorcycle to carry out my door-to-door campaign.”
He went on to add that these two policemen were proving good Samaritans as they were ‘helping him a lot’ to brave the heat and dust of Bhadohi’s backwaters. He believes their presence might help him fetch some votes!
But he has the apprehension that the duo might soon desert him as they are certainly not enjoying covering long distances on foot in this scorching heat. He admitted that he could not keep the two policemen in ‘good humour’ for long as his party had not given him funds to carry out his campaign and he himself had not been able to garner monetary support from the public.
Interestingly, many aspirants in fray from the three assembly constituencies in the district have fielded dummy candidates from the same assembly segment in an apparent bid to avail more and more vehicles and security guards for campaigning. And it is also quite apparent that these dummy candidates are not seeking votes for themselves. As per the Election Commission guidelines, each candidate is entitled to two security guards and three vehicle passes. A senior police officer in Bhadohi admitted to the practice but said that the same could not be checked on legal grounds.
Heavyweight SP MLA from Gyanpur Vijay Mishra has fielded his nephew and Digha block pramukh Manish Mishra from his own constituency. Likewise, BSP MLA Rangnath Mishra has fielded a dummy candidate from Auari.
Though Gautam has been issued three vehicle passes, he says he does not really need them. He said, “These passes are useless to me as I do not own a vehicle.” Father of six and a resident of Nayee Bazar, Raghunathpur, Gautam termed the administration’s claim of providing security to the candidates as farce as it meant nothing to those who did not have their ‘own resources.’
Bhadohi, April 27
Ravikant Gautam is a candidate with a difference. Contesting from the Bhadohi assembly seat on a National Loktantrik Party ticket, Gautam, unlike other candidates in fray, has only a handful of party supporters and absolutely no big name to stump for him.
In the name of ‘resources’, all he can boast of are the two UP policemen that the district administration has provided him for security. Talking to HT, Gautam, in a lighter vein, said, “Since I do not have any vehicle, I sometimes use their (the security guards’) motorcycle to carry out my door-to-door campaign.”
He went on to add that these two policemen were proving good Samaritans as they were ‘helping him a lot’ to brave the heat and dust of Bhadohi’s backwaters. He believes their presence might help him fetch some votes!
But he has the apprehension that the duo might soon desert him as they are certainly not enjoying covering long distances on foot in this scorching heat. He admitted that he could not keep the two policemen in ‘good humour’ for long as his party had not given him funds to carry out his campaign and he himself had not been able to garner monetary support from the public.
Interestingly, many aspirants in fray from the three assembly constituencies in the district have fielded dummy candidates from the same assembly segment in an apparent bid to avail more and more vehicles and security guards for campaigning. And it is also quite apparent that these dummy candidates are not seeking votes for themselves. As per the Election Commission guidelines, each candidate is entitled to two security guards and three vehicle passes. A senior police officer in Bhadohi admitted to the practice but said that the same could not be checked on legal grounds.
Heavyweight SP MLA from Gyanpur Vijay Mishra has fielded his nephew and Digha block pramukh Manish Mishra from his own constituency. Likewise, BSP MLA Rangnath Mishra has fielded a dummy candidate from Auari.
Though Gautam has been issued three vehicle passes, he says he does not really need them. He said, “These passes are useless to me as I do not own a vehicle.” Father of six and a resident of Nayee Bazar, Raghunathpur, Gautam termed the administration’s claim of providing security to the candidates as farce as it meant nothing to those who did not have their ‘own resources.’
Of birha, bati and bar girls!
Darpan Singh
Ghazipur, April 25,
Electioneering in Ghazipur areas bordering Bihar is slowly but steadily coming into its elements. In order to woo the electorate, contestants are employing novel methods. While some are trying to satiate their taste buds by organising ‘bati-chhokha’ party with ‘noorie-laila’ (country liquor) flowing in abundance, others are offering some music to their ears by holding ‘birha’ and ‘chaita’ shows.
Hard pressed for time a sizeable number of desperate aspirants can be seen going all out to satisfy voters’ prurience. For the purpose, they are roping in bar girls, ‘nauthc’ girls. Even male dancers are a hit!
A candidate from Saidpur said, “Male dancers, who are very difficult to differentiate from bar girls, are mostly brought from Bihar and they are cashing in on the opportunity and making the most of the poll season.” According to sources, they, while crossing all limits of vulgarity, were giving their female counterparts a run for their money.
Sources said many consignments of bar girls, who were recently rendered jobless in Mumbai, had already arrived here and they were being used as crowd pullers. Congress candidate from Sadat (reserved) Subas Pasi is moving around in the area to carry out his campaign with a troupe of artistes that he claims to have been brought from Mumbai. Apart from bar girls, the major attraction of his troupe is Nirhu ‘Birahiya.’
Chunnu Singh, a local resident, said, “Such shows are becoming popular but people turn up there just for entertainment and not to listen to politicians.” On Tuesday, ‘nautch’ girls brought from Buxar in Bihar offered some pelvic gyration at the election meeting of SP candidate from Ghazipur sadar, Shadab Fatima, at Mishra Bazar. The show suddenly became the talk of the town as the performers were said to be minors. An SP worker, on the condition of anonymity, said, “ Fatima should not allowed it to happen in her presence.”
Kashinath Yadav, a three-time SP MLC, who was once a famous ‘biraha’ singer, is organising several shows to stump for Mulayam and his party. Yadav, who did his BSc from Satishchandra College , Ballia, in 1979, said, “Birha logon ka dard hai.” He said that these shows were a success in striking a sentimental chord with voters. Talking to the Hindustan Times, he hummed, “Banala ke saar bahnoi ha, jagatawa mein koi nahi apna.”
However, organising ‘baati-chhokha’ parties is not proving as smooth. A pradhan and his associate have been arrested after a case was lodged against them for throwing such a party at village Veerpur under Bhanwarkol police station in Mohammadabad constituency. Not one to lag behind, the electorate have also coined a slogan and they can be heard saying “Baati kha ke sat ke, vote mara hat ke”, as they return home after savouring the delicacy late in the night.
Ghazipur, April 25,
Electioneering in Ghazipur areas bordering Bihar is slowly but steadily coming into its elements. In order to woo the electorate, contestants are employing novel methods. While some are trying to satiate their taste buds by organising ‘bati-chhokha’ party with ‘noorie-laila’ (country liquor) flowing in abundance, others are offering some music to their ears by holding ‘birha’ and ‘chaita’ shows.
Hard pressed for time a sizeable number of desperate aspirants can be seen going all out to satisfy voters’ prurience. For the purpose, they are roping in bar girls, ‘nauthc’ girls. Even male dancers are a hit!
A candidate from Saidpur said, “Male dancers, who are very difficult to differentiate from bar girls, are mostly brought from Bihar and they are cashing in on the opportunity and making the most of the poll season.” According to sources, they, while crossing all limits of vulgarity, were giving their female counterparts a run for their money.
Sources said many consignments of bar girls, who were recently rendered jobless in Mumbai, had already arrived here and they were being used as crowd pullers. Congress candidate from Sadat (reserved) Subas Pasi is moving around in the area to carry out his campaign with a troupe of artistes that he claims to have been brought from Mumbai. Apart from bar girls, the major attraction of his troupe is Nirhu ‘Birahiya.’
Chunnu Singh, a local resident, said, “Such shows are becoming popular but people turn up there just for entertainment and not to listen to politicians.” On Tuesday, ‘nautch’ girls brought from Buxar in Bihar offered some pelvic gyration at the election meeting of SP candidate from Ghazipur sadar, Shadab Fatima, at Mishra Bazar. The show suddenly became the talk of the town as the performers were said to be minors. An SP worker, on the condition of anonymity, said, “ Fatima should not allowed it to happen in her presence.”
Kashinath Yadav, a three-time SP MLC, who was once a famous ‘biraha’ singer, is organising several shows to stump for Mulayam and his party. Yadav, who did his BSc from Satishchandra College , Ballia, in 1979, said, “Birha logon ka dard hai.” He said that these shows were a success in striking a sentimental chord with voters. Talking to the Hindustan Times, he hummed, “Banala ke saar bahnoi ha, jagatawa mein koi nahi apna.”
However, organising ‘baati-chhokha’ parties is not proving as smooth. A pradhan and his associate have been arrested after a case was lodged against them for throwing such a party at village Veerpur under Bhanwarkol police station in Mohammadabad constituency. Not one to lag behind, the electorate have also coined a slogan and they can be heard saying “Baati kha ke sat ke, vote mara hat ke”, as they return home after savouring the delicacy late in the night.
Road to nowhere?
Darpan singh
Yuvrajpur, (Ghazipur), April 26
Five-time SP MLA and a Minister in the Mulayam Singh government, Om Prakash Singh, who represents Dildarnagar constituency in the state assembly, is a worried man nowadays. Interestingly, it is not his rivals but a 7-km-long road which is giving him sleepless nights.
Nearly 15,000 voters of six villages, namely, Kalupur, Sujanpur, Bawade, Bhikhichaura, Yuvrajpur and Patkhaniya, all considered to be Rajput dominated villages – situated along the Shaheed Vishwambher Singh road, about 13 km from ghazipur town – have long been voting for Singh en block. The popularity as well as Singh’s clout in the area could be gauged from the fact that more than 10,000 voters have, generally, cast their votes in his favour. At times, more than 100 percent of votes have been polled for Singh!
This election, the villagers have, however, decided to teach him a lesson. Reason: The road, which was built more than a decade ago to honour a CRPF officer of the village who was killed fighting terrorists in Punjab, is in an utterly bad state. Despite the fact that a sum of Rs 80 lakh was sanctioned for its repair a year back, its condition remains the same.
Radhegobind, a villager, said, “The road was negotiable but it was, about a year back, completely destroyed by a contractor at the behest of the Minister on the pretext that it will be constructed afresh. According to him, the construction work never started. Another villager Radheshyam Singh said, “Haman ke barsat mein Ghazipur jaaye ke khati doosar rasta se 10 km jyada paidal chale ke padal.” He said so deplorable was the road that patients suffered a lot during the period and a couple of women in labour pain had to deliver kids well before reaching hospital.
Talking to the HT, residents of these villages said that when they lodged a complaint with the Minister, he said money has been sanctioned and work would be completed soon. He reportedly said, “Road banwa ke chunav nahi jita jata.” Now the villagers seem irate and many of them have made it a prestige issue of Rajput community.
A resident of Bawade, Shailendra Singh, said, “Ei ab haman ke pratishtha ke sawal ha, eh chunav mein mantriji ke aapan bhul ke ahsas ho jayee.” Meanwhile, the construction work has recently been restarted, apparently gauging the mood of villagers, which has only angered them with any kind of vehicular movement on it becoming almost impossible. The pace and quality of work also leaves a lot to be desired.
Interestingly, Singh is not visiting these villages as part of his election campaign as he is reportedly apprehending protest from the villagers. Mahesh Kumar, a native of Patkhaniya, said, “We will not talk to Om Prakash, nor will we let him visit our village. We’ll talk only to Amar singh now.” Singh could not be contacted for his comments as he was said to be busy campaigning.
Sources said Singh would never like to lose what has always been regarded as his bastion and a crucial factor behind his every victory and do his best to ‘make amends’ at the eleventh hour. However, BSP candidate from Dildarnagar, Pasupati Nath Rai, may not be as ‘influential’ as Singh, who has also represented Ghazipur in Lok Sabha, but, as a political observer jokingly remarked, it should not come as a surprise if the row over the road helps him smile his way to the state assembly!
Yuvrajpur, (Ghazipur), April 26
Five-time SP MLA and a Minister in the Mulayam Singh government, Om Prakash Singh, who represents Dildarnagar constituency in the state assembly, is a worried man nowadays. Interestingly, it is not his rivals but a 7-km-long road which is giving him sleepless nights.
Nearly 15,000 voters of six villages, namely, Kalupur, Sujanpur, Bawade, Bhikhichaura, Yuvrajpur and Patkhaniya, all considered to be Rajput dominated villages – situated along the Shaheed Vishwambher Singh road, about 13 km from ghazipur town – have long been voting for Singh en block. The popularity as well as Singh’s clout in the area could be gauged from the fact that more than 10,000 voters have, generally, cast their votes in his favour. At times, more than 100 percent of votes have been polled for Singh!
This election, the villagers have, however, decided to teach him a lesson. Reason: The road, which was built more than a decade ago to honour a CRPF officer of the village who was killed fighting terrorists in Punjab, is in an utterly bad state. Despite the fact that a sum of Rs 80 lakh was sanctioned for its repair a year back, its condition remains the same.
Radhegobind, a villager, said, “The road was negotiable but it was, about a year back, completely destroyed by a contractor at the behest of the Minister on the pretext that it will be constructed afresh. According to him, the construction work never started. Another villager Radheshyam Singh said, “Haman ke barsat mein Ghazipur jaaye ke khati doosar rasta se 10 km jyada paidal chale ke padal.” He said so deplorable was the road that patients suffered a lot during the period and a couple of women in labour pain had to deliver kids well before reaching hospital.
Talking to the HT, residents of these villages said that when they lodged a complaint with the Minister, he said money has been sanctioned and work would be completed soon. He reportedly said, “Road banwa ke chunav nahi jita jata.” Now the villagers seem irate and many of them have made it a prestige issue of Rajput community.
A resident of Bawade, Shailendra Singh, said, “Ei ab haman ke pratishtha ke sawal ha, eh chunav mein mantriji ke aapan bhul ke ahsas ho jayee.” Meanwhile, the construction work has recently been restarted, apparently gauging the mood of villagers, which has only angered them with any kind of vehicular movement on it becoming almost impossible. The pace and quality of work also leaves a lot to be desired.
Interestingly, Singh is not visiting these villages as part of his election campaign as he is reportedly apprehending protest from the villagers. Mahesh Kumar, a native of Patkhaniya, said, “We will not talk to Om Prakash, nor will we let him visit our village. We’ll talk only to Amar singh now.” Singh could not be contacted for his comments as he was said to be busy campaigning.
Sources said Singh would never like to lose what has always been regarded as his bastion and a crucial factor behind his every victory and do his best to ‘make amends’ at the eleventh hour. However, BSP candidate from Dildarnagar, Pasupati Nath Rai, may not be as ‘influential’ as Singh, who has also represented Ghazipur in Lok Sabha, but, as a political observer jokingly remarked, it should not come as a surprise if the row over the road helps him smile his way to the state assembly!
Apathy reigns where literature ruled
Darpan Singh
Gaungauli (Ghazipur), April 27
As one enters Gangauli, a nondescript hamlet, situated on Kasimabad-Mohammadabad road, some 25 km from Ghazipur, there is hardly anything that would suggest that the village is the birthplace of Dr Rahi Masoom Reza, one of the finest writers the country has ever produced. About half the population in the village is muslim (mostly Sunnis) and almost all of them are weavers.
Reza’s house in the ‘dakkhin patti’ of the village collapsed long time back and it has now lost its existence. Both his Mardana and Janana imambadas, which is under the care of his distant relative, Saiyad Abdur Hussain, are also on the verge of collapse and being used for community purposes. The ‘nimbars’ in his house on which clerics would recite religious books during the ‘mazlis’, is lying abandoned. The ‘palki’, then used by women for visiting the ‘uttar patti’ and supposed to be the ‘aakhri nishani’ of his family has been left to the mercy of weather.
Manzar Ahmad (65), a villager, said, “Reza was born here 1n 1927 in a zamindar family of Shiya Muslims and studied at the Gangauli primary school. His father Saiyad Bashir Hussain Sahab Aabdi was a leading lawyer of Ghazipur.” He said the family later shifted to Ghajipur and stayed at Bashir Manzeel located in Barbarahna. Reza did his high school from there. His two sisters still stay in the house there.
According to him, he started taking interest in ‘shayari’ and writing soon after doing his high school. After some family problems, he went to the AMU where he took a PhD. A brilliant student of Urdu, Hindi and Sanskrit, Dr Reza subsequently taught at the AMU and was a proponent of Urdu in the Devanagari script. He later moved to Bombay and became a successful screenplay writer and wrote the screenplays and dialogues for over 300 films including B R Chopra's television series, Mahabharat.
Another villager, who claimed to be his contemporary, attributed the poor condition of their ancestral house in the village to the apathy shown by Reza’s family. He said, “Reza’s elder brother Munis was once the VC of Delhi University, while his younger brother Menhadi was HoD at the AMU. Bashir’s fourth son Ahmad, who died in US some three months back, was a top officer with the RBI. However, they never tried to renovate their ancestral house for preserving the fading memory.” He said that Reza last visited the village in 1970 during Muharram and never returned again till he died in 1992 in Bombay . According to him, during partition, several villagers went to East Pakistan and, after the creation of Bangladesh , they finally moved to Pakistan . He said, “They have good businesses there in cities like Lahore and Karachi .”
Incidentally, several works of Reza vividly depicts the agony and turmoil of the consequences of partition, and its effect on the Hindu-Muslim relationship in the Indian subcntinent. His novel ‘Aadha Gaon’, set in his village Gangauli and published in 1966, unfolds during the latter years of the Raj and the first decade of Independence and portrays the rival halves of a zamindar family, their loves, fights and litigations. It attacks the creation of Pakistan . His another work Neem Ka Ped portrays the tension between the landed aristocracy and their serfs. His most popular and famous Gjazal is Hum to hain pardes me, Des me nikla hoga chand.
A youth of the village, Danish Hussain, begged to differ with Reza’s writing in Aadha Gaaon. He said, “He has described several instances where people from the ‘uttar’ and ‘dakkhin’ patti resorted to violence and clashed with each other quite frequently which is not true.” He further said, “No one form his family ever visits the village. Had they tried, a lot of things could have been preserved. There is no effort to mke the new generation aware of Reza’s association with the village.” Till recently, there was nothing in the village which could remind the visitors of Reza. However, this is the story thus far. Now the script is getting restless to change.
Shadab Fatima, who enjoys the status of an state minister and contesting Ghazipur sadar seat on SP ticket, is getting roads and bridges built in his name. Fatima, incidentally, happens to be a distant relative of Reza and locals call her his granddaughter. She has also got a 100-bed hospital, a library and a stadium sanctioned which would be constructed in his name. Her son Kashif Abbas, while talking to the HT, said, “We are proud of his (Reza’s) association with the village and doing a lot make the local people aware of the same but his family hardly contributed anything to the village.”
Gaungauli (Ghazipur), April 27
As one enters Gangauli, a nondescript hamlet, situated on Kasimabad-Mohammadabad road, some 25 km from Ghazipur, there is hardly anything that would suggest that the village is the birthplace of Dr Rahi Masoom Reza, one of the finest writers the country has ever produced. About half the population in the village is muslim (mostly Sunnis) and almost all of them are weavers.
Reza’s house in the ‘dakkhin patti’ of the village collapsed long time back and it has now lost its existence. Both his Mardana and Janana imambadas, which is under the care of his distant relative, Saiyad Abdur Hussain, are also on the verge of collapse and being used for community purposes. The ‘nimbars’ in his house on which clerics would recite religious books during the ‘mazlis’, is lying abandoned. The ‘palki’, then used by women for visiting the ‘uttar patti’ and supposed to be the ‘aakhri nishani’ of his family has been left to the mercy of weather.
Manzar Ahmad (65), a villager, said, “Reza was born here 1n 1927 in a zamindar family of Shiya Muslims and studied at the Gangauli primary school. His father Saiyad Bashir Hussain Sahab Aabdi was a leading lawyer of Ghazipur.” He said the family later shifted to Ghajipur and stayed at Bashir Manzeel located in Barbarahna. Reza did his high school from there. His two sisters still stay in the house there.
According to him, he started taking interest in ‘shayari’ and writing soon after doing his high school. After some family problems, he went to the AMU where he took a PhD. A brilliant student of Urdu, Hindi and Sanskrit, Dr Reza subsequently taught at the AMU and was a proponent of Urdu in the Devanagari script. He later moved to Bombay and became a successful screenplay writer and wrote the screenplays and dialogues for over 300 films including B R Chopra's television series, Mahabharat.
Another villager, who claimed to be his contemporary, attributed the poor condition of their ancestral house in the village to the apathy shown by Reza’s family. He said, “Reza’s elder brother Munis was once the VC of Delhi University, while his younger brother Menhadi was HoD at the AMU. Bashir’s fourth son Ahmad, who died in US some three months back, was a top officer with the RBI. However, they never tried to renovate their ancestral house for preserving the fading memory.” He said that Reza last visited the village in 1970 during Muharram and never returned again till he died in 1992 in Bombay . According to him, during partition, several villagers went to East Pakistan and, after the creation of Bangladesh , they finally moved to Pakistan . He said, “They have good businesses there in cities like Lahore and Karachi .”
Incidentally, several works of Reza vividly depicts the agony and turmoil of the consequences of partition, and its effect on the Hindu-Muslim relationship in the Indian subcntinent. His novel ‘Aadha Gaon’, set in his village Gangauli and published in 1966, unfolds during the latter years of the Raj and the first decade of Independence and portrays the rival halves of a zamindar family, their loves, fights and litigations. It attacks the creation of Pakistan . His another work Neem Ka Ped portrays the tension between the landed aristocracy and their serfs. His most popular and famous Gjazal is Hum to hain pardes me, Des me nikla hoga chand.
A youth of the village, Danish Hussain, begged to differ with Reza’s writing in Aadha Gaaon. He said, “He has described several instances where people from the ‘uttar’ and ‘dakkhin’ patti resorted to violence and clashed with each other quite frequently which is not true.” He further said, “No one form his family ever visits the village. Had they tried, a lot of things could have been preserved. There is no effort to mke the new generation aware of Reza’s association with the village.” Till recently, there was nothing in the village which could remind the visitors of Reza. However, this is the story thus far. Now the script is getting restless to change.
Shadab Fatima, who enjoys the status of an state minister and contesting Ghazipur sadar seat on SP ticket, is getting roads and bridges built in his name. Fatima, incidentally, happens to be a distant relative of Reza and locals call her his granddaughter. She has also got a 100-bed hospital, a library and a stadium sanctioned which would be constructed in his name. Her son Kashif Abbas, while talking to the HT, said, “We are proud of his (Reza’s) association with the village and doing a lot make the local people aware of the same but his family hardly contributed anything to the village.”
Of bullet, blood and ballot
Darpan Singh
Mohammadabad (Ghazipur), April 28
65-year-old Saleem Ansari, a tea shop owner in Yusufpur area, claims to have seen it all of Poorvanchal politics. But he is apprehensive of violence more than ever before. Don-turned politician Mokhtar Ansari’s brother Shivgatullah is contesting the Mohammadabad seat on SP ticket and is locked in a straight fight with slain BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, Alka Rai. Saleem said, “The elections here might prove bloodier than the previous ones as it a battle of prestige for both sides.”
Most of the people in the constituency HT spoke to termed it as a war of supremacy between Mokhtar and another mafia don of Poorvanchal, Brijesh Singh. A villager of Veerpur said, “The election campaign of Krihnanand, who paid the price for contesting against Mukhtar’s elder brother Afzal, had been funded by Brijesh. Now his men will go to any extent to avenge the killing and ensure Alka’s victory.”
As part of her election campaign, Alka is seeking ‘justice.’ At a public meeting in the constituency, she said, “In the court, I am seeking death sentence to the killers of my husband. I wont settle with anything less than that. Ensure my victory, it will be a tribute to my husband and six of the party workers killed in the shootout.” Alka has publicly said she might be killed by Ansari brothers.
According to police sources, there are dozens of criminal gangs active in the region but all tensions boil down to the Mokhtar-Brijesh fued which started near Saidpur in the early 1980s following a land dispute between two groups, one led by Makhanu Singh and the other by Sahib Singh. A police officer said, “While Mokhtar joined Makhanu Singh, Brijesh sided with Sahib Singh, triggering a bloody war of attrition in the region over contracts worth Rs 100 crore a year.”
Here violence is justified on religious grounds and used to protect political and gang interests. A senior police officer in Ghajipur said, “Several groups, including the real estate lobby, used the recent Mau riots, allegedly perpetrated by the local independent MLA Mokhtar, to settle individual scores.” He also termed the communal violence in Ghazipur, which erupted following the killing of Rai in 2005, as part of a larger strategy to divide voters on communal lines before the elections.
Event though Mokhtar, along with Afzal, is lodged in Ghazipur jail in connection with Rai’s killing, allegations are being levelled that he is trying to influence voters by addressing small gatherings through cell phone. Former BJP MP from Ghazipur Manoj Sinha has lodged a complaint with the election Commission in this connection.
This time round, Saleem would like to be proved wrong!
Mohammadabad (Ghazipur), April 28
65-year-old Saleem Ansari, a tea shop owner in Yusufpur area, claims to have seen it all of Poorvanchal politics. But he is apprehensive of violence more than ever before. Don-turned politician Mokhtar Ansari’s brother Shivgatullah is contesting the Mohammadabad seat on SP ticket and is locked in a straight fight with slain BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, Alka Rai. Saleem said, “The elections here might prove bloodier than the previous ones as it a battle of prestige for both sides.”
Most of the people in the constituency HT spoke to termed it as a war of supremacy between Mokhtar and another mafia don of Poorvanchal, Brijesh Singh. A villager of Veerpur said, “The election campaign of Krihnanand, who paid the price for contesting against Mukhtar’s elder brother Afzal, had been funded by Brijesh. Now his men will go to any extent to avenge the killing and ensure Alka’s victory.”
As part of her election campaign, Alka is seeking ‘justice.’ At a public meeting in the constituency, she said, “In the court, I am seeking death sentence to the killers of my husband. I wont settle with anything less than that. Ensure my victory, it will be a tribute to my husband and six of the party workers killed in the shootout.” Alka has publicly said she might be killed by Ansari brothers.
According to police sources, there are dozens of criminal gangs active in the region but all tensions boil down to the Mokhtar-Brijesh fued which started near Saidpur in the early 1980s following a land dispute between two groups, one led by Makhanu Singh and the other by Sahib Singh. A police officer said, “While Mokhtar joined Makhanu Singh, Brijesh sided with Sahib Singh, triggering a bloody war of attrition in the region over contracts worth Rs 100 crore a year.”
Here violence is justified on religious grounds and used to protect political and gang interests. A senior police officer in Ghajipur said, “Several groups, including the real estate lobby, used the recent Mau riots, allegedly perpetrated by the local independent MLA Mokhtar, to settle individual scores.” He also termed the communal violence in Ghazipur, which erupted following the killing of Rai in 2005, as part of a larger strategy to divide voters on communal lines before the elections.
Event though Mokhtar, along with Afzal, is lodged in Ghazipur jail in connection with Rai’s killing, allegations are being levelled that he is trying to influence voters by addressing small gatherings through cell phone. Former BJP MP from Ghazipur Manoj Sinha has lodged a complaint with the election Commission in this connection.
This time round, Saleem would like to be proved wrong!
Shahid Baba Ka Mazar: Untouched by strife
Darpan Singh
Dumraon (Buxar), October 6
SITUATED BARELY a few metres from the place where large-scale violence took place on Wednesday night, the ‘Shahid Baba ka Mazar’ at Dumraon remained untouched all through the turmoil. It has long been known as an ‘oasis of peace’ for the people of this small sub-divisional town. Built in the courtyard of a Hindu house in the early Eighties, this Mazar is an obvious symbol of communal harmony and brotherhood. Though tension is still palpable in the town because of the clashes, a constant stream of devotees from both communities continues to make its way to the Mazar to offer prayer, ‘chadar’ and floral tributes. Incidentally, the two-day-long ‘Urs’ mela organised here on August 5 every year, has always attracted a large number of both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Abhishek, alias Bablu, a local, said, “It (the Mazar) is a perfect picture of communal harmony, so much so that even in these communally charged times, it shows that people of all communities can live peacefully, side by side, if they ignore their religious differences.”Visibly upset over the recent turn of events, he hoped the situation in the town would get back to normal soon. Recalling how the Mazar came to be built, its priest S M Poornam Quadri told Hindustan Times that it “was built after one Kalawati Devi, wife of a timber merchant, Laxman Choudhary, began having dreams of a man and his wife buried somewhere in the southwestern corner of their house.” Kalawati, then suffering from some protracted illness, was also told in her dreams to get the place cleaned. Continuing with the story, Quadri said this forced Laxman to consult various priests and Muslim clerics for a ‘solution’ and, on their advice, he got the southwestern section of his house cleaned and built a Mazar there in 1982. According to popular belief, not only was Kalawati cured, the Mazar’s construction also brought happiness and prosperity to the family. Since then, local people as well as many from distant places have come to the place to offer prayers and seek relief for their problems.
Dumraon (Buxar), October 6
SITUATED BARELY a few metres from the place where large-scale violence took place on Wednesday night, the ‘Shahid Baba ka Mazar’ at Dumraon remained untouched all through the turmoil. It has long been known as an ‘oasis of peace’ for the people of this small sub-divisional town. Built in the courtyard of a Hindu house in the early Eighties, this Mazar is an obvious symbol of communal harmony and brotherhood. Though tension is still palpable in the town because of the clashes, a constant stream of devotees from both communities continues to make its way to the Mazar to offer prayer, ‘chadar’ and floral tributes. Incidentally, the two-day-long ‘Urs’ mela organised here on August 5 every year, has always attracted a large number of both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Abhishek, alias Bablu, a local, said, “It (the Mazar) is a perfect picture of communal harmony, so much so that even in these communally charged times, it shows that people of all communities can live peacefully, side by side, if they ignore their religious differences.”Visibly upset over the recent turn of events, he hoped the situation in the town would get back to normal soon. Recalling how the Mazar came to be built, its priest S M Poornam Quadri told Hindustan Times that it “was built after one Kalawati Devi, wife of a timber merchant, Laxman Choudhary, began having dreams of a man and his wife buried somewhere in the southwestern corner of their house.” Kalawati, then suffering from some protracted illness, was also told in her dreams to get the place cleaned. Continuing with the story, Quadri said this forced Laxman to consult various priests and Muslim clerics for a ‘solution’ and, on their advice, he got the southwestern section of his house cleaned and built a Mazar there in 1982. According to popular belief, not only was Kalawati cured, the Mazar’s construction also brought happiness and prosperity to the family. Since then, local people as well as many from distant places have come to the place to offer prayers and seek relief for their problems.
Buxar’s rope trick that hangs
Darpan Singh
Buxar/Patna,
September 28
WITH THE Special Pota court fixing October 20 next for the hanging of Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, Mohammad Afzal, the main accused in the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack case who was one of those convicted, one vital question doing the rounds at the Buxar Central Jail is: Will it (the jail) again play ‘a role’ in yet another convict’s hanging in the country? According to the authorities of Buxar Central Jail, its inmates have for long been ‘doing their bit to facilitate’ hangings at different prisons across the country. Buxar Central Jail is probably the only place in the country where the special Manilla rope is made. The rope, which is used in all hangings in the country, is made by the prisoners of the Buxar Central Jail at a factory unit set up on the jail premises itself!More pertinently, prisoners engaged in making the Manilla rope are apparently not aware of the fact that it would be used to hang prisoners on death row. The then Deputy Superintendent and technical head of the jail factory, Rajesh, had told the HT sometime back, “We do not tell them what the Manilla ropes are made for as that might cause unrest in the prison.” Though 300-odd prisoners work at the jail factory which produces several other items, only six or seven prisoners are engaged in making the ropes. If the claim of some sources at the jail were reliable, the Manilla rope made here is sent to all those prisons across the country where a hanging is to take place. The ropes are said to cost Rs 180 per kg and are sent only when they are needed for executions. Incidentally, nearly one dozen convicts, sentenced to death by various lower courts, are waiting on death row with their appeals pending in higher courts of the country. Though the present Jail Superintendent could not be contacted despite much effort, one of his predecessors in office, Jaishankar Prasad, confirmed that the Manilla rope was indeed manufactured at Buxar Central Jail. Explaining the manufacturing process, he said, “The yarn is first spun into thick thread from what is known as the ‘ J-34 variety’ of cotton. The thread is later made extremely smooth and soft by wax. Extra care is taken to make sure that there are no knots in the thread strands. The rope itself is finally produced by entwining 20 strands of ‘6/16 count’ with the breaking strength of 168 pounds.” He further said that, in all, three kinds of rope — hanging rope, handcuff rope and tent rope — were produced at the rope manufacturing unit of the jail factory.There was no official word on the possibility of Afzal also being hanged by a rope acquired from Buxar Central Jail, i.e., if he is hanged at all. There was also no official record suggesting that Dhananjoy Chatterjee, the Kolkata youth who had raped and killed a child, was the 55th convict since Independence, to be hanged by a Manilla rope made at the Buxar Central Jail. However, a jail official said on condition of anonymity that though “the jail had made no supplies of the rope to the West Bengal Government in the recent past, he (Dhananjoy Chatterjee) appears to have been executed by being hung from the rope sent by us about seven years back.”According to jail records, one of the recent supplies of the hanging rope was made to the Andhra Pradesh Government in 2003. A consignment of the rope was also sent to the Bhagalpur Central Jail in 1995. More recently, in 2004, a sample of the Manilla rope was sent to the then IG (Prisons), Bihar, who apparently wanted to inspect it “for quality”.
Buxar/Patna,
September 28
WITH THE Special Pota court fixing October 20 next for the hanging of Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, Mohammad Afzal, the main accused in the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack case who was one of those convicted, one vital question doing the rounds at the Buxar Central Jail is: Will it (the jail) again play ‘a role’ in yet another convict’s hanging in the country? According to the authorities of Buxar Central Jail, its inmates have for long been ‘doing their bit to facilitate’ hangings at different prisons across the country. Buxar Central Jail is probably the only place in the country where the special Manilla rope is made. The rope, which is used in all hangings in the country, is made by the prisoners of the Buxar Central Jail at a factory unit set up on the jail premises itself!More pertinently, prisoners engaged in making the Manilla rope are apparently not aware of the fact that it would be used to hang prisoners on death row. The then Deputy Superintendent and technical head of the jail factory, Rajesh, had told the HT sometime back, “We do not tell them what the Manilla ropes are made for as that might cause unrest in the prison.” Though 300-odd prisoners work at the jail factory which produces several other items, only six or seven prisoners are engaged in making the ropes. If the claim of some sources at the jail were reliable, the Manilla rope made here is sent to all those prisons across the country where a hanging is to take place. The ropes are said to cost Rs 180 per kg and are sent only when they are needed for executions. Incidentally, nearly one dozen convicts, sentenced to death by various lower courts, are waiting on death row with their appeals pending in higher courts of the country. Though the present Jail Superintendent could not be contacted despite much effort, one of his predecessors in office, Jaishankar Prasad, confirmed that the Manilla rope was indeed manufactured at Buxar Central Jail. Explaining the manufacturing process, he said, “The yarn is first spun into thick thread from what is known as the ‘ J-34 variety’ of cotton. The thread is later made extremely smooth and soft by wax. Extra care is taken to make sure that there are no knots in the thread strands. The rope itself is finally produced by entwining 20 strands of ‘6/16 count’ with the breaking strength of 168 pounds.” He further said that, in all, three kinds of rope — hanging rope, handcuff rope and tent rope — were produced at the rope manufacturing unit of the jail factory.There was no official word on the possibility of Afzal also being hanged by a rope acquired from Buxar Central Jail, i.e., if he is hanged at all. There was also no official record suggesting that Dhananjoy Chatterjee, the Kolkata youth who had raped and killed a child, was the 55th convict since Independence, to be hanged by a Manilla rope made at the Buxar Central Jail. However, a jail official said on condition of anonymity that though “the jail had made no supplies of the rope to the West Bengal Government in the recent past, he (Dhananjoy Chatterjee) appears to have been executed by being hung from the rope sent by us about seven years back.”According to jail records, one of the recent supplies of the hanging rope was made to the Andhra Pradesh Government in 2003. A consignment of the rope was also sent to the Bhagalpur Central Jail in 1995. More recently, in 2004, a sample of the Manilla rope was sent to the then IG (Prisons), Bihar, who apparently wanted to inspect it “for quality”.
Power brings power in UP’s badlands
Darpan Singh
Ghazipur, April 25
IN THE twin cities of Ghazipur and Mau, only 'power' can ensure power. On the face of it, Ghazipur — which goes to polls on May 3 — looks like any other eastern Uttar Pradesh district with its poor roads, widespread underdevelopment and frequent gang wars. But it is the uninterrupted supply of electricity that sets it apart. Local people tell you the district has been receiving electricity 22 hours a day ever since don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s elder brother Afjal Ansari won the Lok Sabha seat in 2004. Uday Narain Singh, a traditional Congress supporter, is all praise for Mukhtar. He says that even when the Ansari brothers were sent to jail after the killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, the power supply did not falter.Mukhtar, Bhai Jaan to the locals, misses no opportunity to take credit for the power supply. Every month, a man on a rickshaw goes to every town telling the people they owe the privilege to Bhai Jaan's sincerity. Electricity department officials here believe only Saiffai, the native place of Mulayam Singh Yadav, gets as much power.Ramesh Jaiswal, a photo-stat shop owner, says he saves a “lot of money as generator sets have almost become irrelevant. The credit goes to the Ansari brothers”. Incidentally, Jaiswal is a staunch BJP supporter.Mukhtar began his political career by winning the Mau Sadar assembly seat on a BSP ticket from jail. He is seeking a hattrick this time as an Independent. Rival candidates in Ghazipur seem dispirited. The Congress’s Singh confessed the Ansari brothers were powerful but he was still hopeful as “the condition of roads, water supply and healthcare is pathetic here”.
Ghazipur, April 25
IN THE twin cities of Ghazipur and Mau, only 'power' can ensure power. On the face of it, Ghazipur — which goes to polls on May 3 — looks like any other eastern Uttar Pradesh district with its poor roads, widespread underdevelopment and frequent gang wars. But it is the uninterrupted supply of electricity that sets it apart. Local people tell you the district has been receiving electricity 22 hours a day ever since don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s elder brother Afjal Ansari won the Lok Sabha seat in 2004. Uday Narain Singh, a traditional Congress supporter, is all praise for Mukhtar. He says that even when the Ansari brothers were sent to jail after the killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, the power supply did not falter.Mukhtar, Bhai Jaan to the locals, misses no opportunity to take credit for the power supply. Every month, a man on a rickshaw goes to every town telling the people they owe the privilege to Bhai Jaan's sincerity. Electricity department officials here believe only Saiffai, the native place of Mulayam Singh Yadav, gets as much power.Ramesh Jaiswal, a photo-stat shop owner, says he saves a “lot of money as generator sets have almost become irrelevant. The credit goes to the Ansari brothers”. Incidentally, Jaiswal is a staunch BJP supporter.Mukhtar began his political career by winning the Mau Sadar assembly seat on a BSP ticket from jail. He is seeking a hattrick this time as an Independent. Rival candidates in Ghazipur seem dispirited. The Congress’s Singh confessed the Ansari brothers were powerful but he was still hopeful as “the condition of roads, water supply and healthcare is pathetic here”.
Buxar Jail’s rope trick back in play!
Darpan Singh
Patna, October 15
Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Mohammad Afzal’s possible hanging on October 20 in the parliament attack case may have spurred a national debate, but there is none whatsoever about the rope the hangman will use. No prizes for guessing — it will be the Manilla rope. The irony of sorts, however, is that inmates of the Buxar Central Jail spin this rope.Hindustan Times had carried a report (Buxar’s rope trick that hangs, dated September 29) in this connection, though the jail authorities there were in a denial mode. But, it’s official now. On Friday night, a special team from Tihar Central Jail, New Delhi, led by its deputy superintendent Anjani Kumar, reached Buxar Central Jail and procured the special rope, which is said to be 60 feet long and weighs 3.75 kg. The special team, which left for Delhi the same night, is said to have told the Central Jail officials there that the ‘consignment’ would be used if Afzal were to be hanged at Tihar.While the superintendent of Buxar Jail has confirmed this, his deputy Rajesh Kumar Singh quoted a Tihar Central Jail official as saying, “Though the clemency appeal is pending with the President, we do not want to leave anything to chance and are making all arrangements as it’s a high-profile case.” When contacted by HT, Rajesh said a board consisting of Tihar Central Jail officials had earlier been constituted to procure the consignment and the entire process was kept so confidential that even the jail superintendent (Tihar) was reportedly unaware of it. After the HT had carried the report, the Buxar jail authorities ‘briefed’ a section of the Press that the production of the special rope had stopped long time back and that it would not be supplied to the Tihar Central Jail, as they had not received any order for the same. Now, they are also admitting that a consignment of rope was sent from here in 2004 to hang child rapist Dhananjay Chatterjee at Alipore jail, Kolkata.
Patna, October 15
Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Mohammad Afzal’s possible hanging on October 20 in the parliament attack case may have spurred a national debate, but there is none whatsoever about the rope the hangman will use. No prizes for guessing — it will be the Manilla rope. The irony of sorts, however, is that inmates of the Buxar Central Jail spin this rope.Hindustan Times had carried a report (Buxar’s rope trick that hangs, dated September 29) in this connection, though the jail authorities there were in a denial mode. But, it’s official now. On Friday night, a special team from Tihar Central Jail, New Delhi, led by its deputy superintendent Anjani Kumar, reached Buxar Central Jail and procured the special rope, which is said to be 60 feet long and weighs 3.75 kg. The special team, which left for Delhi the same night, is said to have told the Central Jail officials there that the ‘consignment’ would be used if Afzal were to be hanged at Tihar.While the superintendent of Buxar Jail has confirmed this, his deputy Rajesh Kumar Singh quoted a Tihar Central Jail official as saying, “Though the clemency appeal is pending with the President, we do not want to leave anything to chance and are making all arrangements as it’s a high-profile case.” When contacted by HT, Rajesh said a board consisting of Tihar Central Jail officials had earlier been constituted to procure the consignment and the entire process was kept so confidential that even the jail superintendent (Tihar) was reportedly unaware of it. After the HT had carried the report, the Buxar jail authorities ‘briefed’ a section of the Press that the production of the special rope had stopped long time back and that it would not be supplied to the Tihar Central Jail, as they had not received any order for the same. Now, they are also admitting that a consignment of rope was sent from here in 2004 to hang child rapist Dhananjay Chatterjee at Alipore jail, Kolkata.
Buxar Jail’s rope back in play!
Darpan Singh
Patna, October 15
Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Mohammad Afzal’s possible hanging on October 20 in the parliament attack case may have spurred a national debate, but there is none whatsoever about the rope the hangman will use. No prizes for guessing — it will be the Manilla rope. The irony of sorts, however, is that inmates of the Buxar Central Jail spin this rope.Hindustan Times had carried a report (Buxar’s rope trick that hangs, dated September 29) in this connection, though the jail authorities there were in a denial mode. But, it’s official now. On Friday night, a special team from Tihar Central Jail, New Delhi, led by its deputy superintendent Anjani Kumar, reached Buxar Central Jail and procured the special rope, which is said to be 60 feet long and weighs 3.75 kg. The special team, which left for Delhi the same night, is said to have told the Central Jail officials there that the ‘consignment’ would be used if Afzal were to be hanged at Tihar.While the superintendent of Buxar Jail has confirmed this, his deputy Rajesh Kumar Singh quoted a Tihar Central Jail official as saying, “Though the clemency appeal is pending with the President, we do not want to leave anything to chance and are making all arrangements as it’s a high-profile case.” When contacted by HT, Rajesh said a board consisting of Tihar Central Jail officials had earlier been constituted to procure the consignment and the entire process was kept so confidential that even the jail superintendent (Tihar) was reportedly unaware of it. After the HT had carried the report, the Buxar jail authorities ‘briefed’ a section of the Press that the production of the special rope had stopped long time back and that it would not be supplied to the Tihar Central Jail, as they had not received any order for the same. Now, they are also admitting that a consignment of rope was sent from here in 2004 to hang child rapist Dhananjay Chatterjee at Alipore jail, Kolkata.
Patna, October 15
Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Mohammad Afzal’s possible hanging on October 20 in the parliament attack case may have spurred a national debate, but there is none whatsoever about the rope the hangman will use. No prizes for guessing — it will be the Manilla rope. The irony of sorts, however, is that inmates of the Buxar Central Jail spin this rope.Hindustan Times had carried a report (Buxar’s rope trick that hangs, dated September 29) in this connection, though the jail authorities there were in a denial mode. But, it’s official now. On Friday night, a special team from Tihar Central Jail, New Delhi, led by its deputy superintendent Anjani Kumar, reached Buxar Central Jail and procured the special rope, which is said to be 60 feet long and weighs 3.75 kg. The special team, which left for Delhi the same night, is said to have told the Central Jail officials there that the ‘consignment’ would be used if Afzal were to be hanged at Tihar.While the superintendent of Buxar Jail has confirmed this, his deputy Rajesh Kumar Singh quoted a Tihar Central Jail official as saying, “Though the clemency appeal is pending with the President, we do not want to leave anything to chance and are making all arrangements as it’s a high-profile case.” When contacted by HT, Rajesh said a board consisting of Tihar Central Jail officials had earlier been constituted to procure the consignment and the entire process was kept so confidential that even the jail superintendent (Tihar) was reportedly unaware of it. After the HT had carried the report, the Buxar jail authorities ‘briefed’ a section of the Press that the production of the special rope had stopped long time back and that it would not be supplied to the Tihar Central Jail, as they had not received any order for the same. Now, they are also admitting that a consignment of rope was sent from here in 2004 to hang child rapist Dhananjay Chatterjee at Alipore jail, Kolkata.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
crime, corruption galore, carpet takes a backseat
Forty-year-old Zafar is hoping against hope. In Pirkhapur lane of Bhadohi town, he is, under the blazing sun, trying to sell vegetables with no prospective buyers around. Not too long back, his hands weaved magic as he was known as a master carpet weaver.
His is, though, not an isolated case. With the carpet business witnessing a slump in Bhadohi, many of the expert weavers are compelled to take to other occupations. While some are selling vegetables, others are pulling rickshaw and working as lobourers.
Government officials claim that 80 per cent of carpets exported from India originated from this belt. The growth of Indian carpet industry has been quite impressive in recent years as exports from this country account for the 19 per cent of the global trade.
However, crime, stiff global competition and government’s apathy has over the years, marred the entire business here. More than 100 leading exporters, in the recent past, shifted their bases to other places, including Noida and Gurgaon, for security reasons. They are now procuring carpets being manufactured in Panipat.
According to police sources, an Exporter Sachin Khanna was abducted in 2003, while another exporter Ved Prakash Jaiswal and six of his family members were butchered by criminals the same year. In 2002, an exporter Gauri Shankar Gupta and his wife were killed.
In fact, the flourishing trade opened up a new vista for criminals some 15 years back which is now forcing the exporters here to wind up their business and shift to safer places. An exporter, Zahir, said, “You can not do much when goons of the local politicians go on killing people.”
The trade is said to have started when Sheikh Madrullah, Mughal Emperor Akbar’s master weaver, along with other Persian weavers, came to this region in 1790. They were attacked by robbers near Mirzapur and rescued by local villagers. An obliged Madrullah decided to stay back in Mirzapur and pass his skills on to the locals, beginning a trade whose annual turnover today runs into crores of ruppes.
But today Bhadohi presents a picture of complete neglect. The number of people involved in the industry has gone down considerably. The annual turnover has also gone down in crores. Hazi Shaukat Ali Ansari, president of the All India Carpet Manufacturers’ Association, attributed the current state of affairs to lack of any kind of infrastructure in the town. Ansari, who is a Congress nominee for the Mirzapur-Bhadohi by-election, said, “The government has stopped the practice of providing cash incentive, quotas and import license to us which has taken its toll.”
Ramesh Kumar, a weaver and a resident of Buxar district in Bihar, said that global competition was another factor to blame for the current situation. According to him, Persian carpets, which are costly and generate employment to a greater number of people, are not being manufactured here as they are not in demand anymore in the international markets. He also rued lack of infrastructure saying there had not been any industry in Bhadohi during the past 15 years.
His is, though, not an isolated case. With the carpet business witnessing a slump in Bhadohi, many of the expert weavers are compelled to take to other occupations. While some are selling vegetables, others are pulling rickshaw and working as lobourers.
Government officials claim that 80 per cent of carpets exported from India originated from this belt. The growth of Indian carpet industry has been quite impressive in recent years as exports from this country account for the 19 per cent of the global trade.
However, crime, stiff global competition and government’s apathy has over the years, marred the entire business here. More than 100 leading exporters, in the recent past, shifted their bases to other places, including Noida and Gurgaon, for security reasons. They are now procuring carpets being manufactured in Panipat.
According to police sources, an Exporter Sachin Khanna was abducted in 2003, while another exporter Ved Prakash Jaiswal and six of his family members were butchered by criminals the same year. In 2002, an exporter Gauri Shankar Gupta and his wife were killed.
In fact, the flourishing trade opened up a new vista for criminals some 15 years back which is now forcing the exporters here to wind up their business and shift to safer places. An exporter, Zahir, said, “You can not do much when goons of the local politicians go on killing people.”
The trade is said to have started when Sheikh Madrullah, Mughal Emperor Akbar’s master weaver, along with other Persian weavers, came to this region in 1790. They were attacked by robbers near Mirzapur and rescued by local villagers. An obliged Madrullah decided to stay back in Mirzapur and pass his skills on to the locals, beginning a trade whose annual turnover today runs into crores of ruppes.
But today Bhadohi presents a picture of complete neglect. The number of people involved in the industry has gone down considerably. The annual turnover has also gone down in crores. Hazi Shaukat Ali Ansari, president of the All India Carpet Manufacturers’ Association, attributed the current state of affairs to lack of any kind of infrastructure in the town. Ansari, who is a Congress nominee for the Mirzapur-Bhadohi by-election, said, “The government has stopped the practice of providing cash incentive, quotas and import license to us which has taken its toll.”
Ramesh Kumar, a weaver and a resident of Buxar district in Bihar, said that global competition was another factor to blame for the current situation. According to him, Persian carpets, which are costly and generate employment to a greater number of people, are not being manufactured here as they are not in demand anymore in the international markets. He also rued lack of infrastructure saying there had not been any industry in Bhadohi during the past 15 years.
what ails bhagalpur!
Patna, August 29
On Monday last, policemen thrashed and dragged a petty thief — tied to a motorcycle and already beaten to pulp by an irate mob — for snatching a gold chain.
A couple of months back, a private tutor shoved his pen into the eyes of his 11-year-old student for making some mistakes.
In January, miscreants stuffed the mouth of a 7-year-old boy with cloth, tied his limbs with a rope and fed him to rats.
In December, the right hand of a 10-year-old Dalit girl of Phulwaria village was injured with a sickle for plucking a few leaves of spinach.
Prior to this, two persons had their eyes gauged out for petty offences
MORE THAN 25 years after the Bhagalpur police blinded 31 undertrials in 1979-80, a spate of spine-chilling incidents, reported during the past few months, has thrown up a vital question. Is there something wrong with the city? Experts in criminal psychology and psychiatrists — this reporter spoke to — term the phenomenon as ‘disturbing.’
Senior IPS officer and Rohtas SP N.H. Khan says the issue is ‘delicate and very serious.’ He says, “Corrective measures should immediately be taken but not only in the context of law, as it’s more of a social issue.
He admits that the style of investigation in Bihar is not very advanced and cops were not trained, or sensitive enough, to tackle such cases. Referring to an incident in which a couple was tied together with iron wire and burnt alive at Sasaram in December, he says, “Such cases need to be treated separately.”
But why this sudden spurt? Another IPS officer and Buxar SP Paresh Saxena explains, “Our social structure is getting complex and so is the pattern of crime.” Saxena, who is also a doctor, says, “It’s very difficult to generalize, or for that matter, theorize such cases.” He feels that the behaviour of children — till they become criminals — has to be followed in a truly scientific manner.
The National Institute of Criminology (NIC), New Delhi, has taken up a pilot project where a large number of such samples are being analysed. Saxena says, “It may take a lot of time but in order to avoid erroneous inference, something of that sort has to be done here in Bihar also.”
Dr B.K. Singh, patron, Indian Psychiatry Association (Bihar chapter), termed the recent spurt of such incidents in Bhgalpur as alarming and attributed the same to certain social conditions and lack of parental guidance and control. He said, “Tackling such crimes, which are primarily expressions of suppressed feelings, is much more challenging as some people do it just to derive sadistic pleasure.”
Incidentally, when a movie based on the Bhagalpur blindings was made a few years back, similar incidents were again reported in an around Bhagalpur. According to police records, soon after the release, while an alleged ox thief was beaten up and acid poured into his eyes in Banka, a 16-year-old boy of Khagaria district, accused of stealing a bicycle, was thrashed by a mob which gouged out one of his eyes while damaging the other one.
Kumar Vivek an AIIMS graduate currently pursuing higher studies in Philadelphia, thinks such trends do not auger well for society in general. Talking to this reporter over phone on Wednesday, he says, “Failure of the administration to check crime or punish criminals does not give us the right to take law in our hands. The problem has more to do with people’s psychology.”
But do the infamous bindings have anything to do with the recent spurt in such acts? Says Khan, “Influence of the blindings on the psyche of those resorting to such acts cannot be ruled out. It shows there’s something wrong in the social system.” Echoing similar views, Saxena, who himself investigated a recent blinding of a student by his teacher in Buxar, says if such cases are premeditated, then it’s a cause for great concern.”
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