Justice Massacred

This story is protected under Google product licence term IPR.

None to Blame for a National Shame
"the prosecution witnesses are not reliable and so all the convicted persons are entitled for benefit of doubt," said the single judge bench of Patna high court on Wednesday, 9th oct 2013. The court also directed the acquittal of all 26 accused, 16 of whom were awarded death sentence by a lower court. 

The court ruling came up as those 58 dalits killed themselves as mass-suicide at the fateful massacre at Laxmanpur-Bathe village that rocked the nation way back in 1997. 
The then president of India, K.R. Narayanan, had called the Laxmanpur Bathe Massacre a ‘national shame’. 
Ranveer Sena, an upper caste militia was accused of butchering fifty eight dalit men, women and children. The youngest of those killed was a little girl who had not even celebrated her first birth day, when she was beheaded. Among the victims were eight pregnant women.

Ranveer Sena & Laxmanpur-Bathe
Ranvir Sena was a private militia and the brainchild of Brahmeshwar Mukhiya. He was the mukhiya(chief) of Khopira panchayat during 1980’s. The Mukhiya shot to fame when he formed Ranveer Sena, an organization of farmers to fight the growing popularity of Naxalism in central Bihar. 

Laxmanpur Bathe is some 100 km from Patna, on the banks of the Sone. Rajputs, Bhumihars and the Dalits have been living together peacefully, though the rise of lower caste in 80-90's were rising eyesore for Bhumihars who used to enjoy the ownership of most of the farm land in the central united(Jharkhand surfaced in year 2000 only) Bihar. 
In the backdrop of a power struggle for land, the land-owning Bhumihars came together under the banner of Ranvir Sena and onset violent confrontations with poor peasants who got their land under patta system. Ranvir Sena is named behind several other caste carnages including Bathani Tola. The torned social fabric of the state could be analysed easily. For the eight pregnant women who butchered in the gruesome attack Mukhiya himself justified this, saying Maoist had to be killed in their wombs.

Bihar Government - A Reluctant Driver

The Bihar Government has reportedly stated last week that it will contest the Patna High Court’s verdict. But given the way it has handled the prosecution so far, this contest is not likely to be more than a half- heart formality. It may be relevant to recall that Nitish Kumar ‘s government in Bihar (JD-U, at that time in coalition with the BJP) disbanded (in April 2006) the Justice Amir Das Commission of enquiry set up to look into the links and the patronage that the Ranveer Sena militia had within the political parties in Bihar within six months of taking power in November 2005. 

This is perhaps one executive order that Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav would have been in agreement on, because the parties they led would both stand to lose were the Amir Das Commission’s findings on the links between the Ranveer Sena and political parties in Bihar to ever be made formally public. The Lalu Yadav-Rabri Devi regime, though it set up the Amir Das Commission under intense public pressure, was not averse to its findings being consigned to oblivion.

Criminal silence from political quarters
Bihar's Bathe Dalit massacre verdict. Is death of 58 Dalit non issue for the BJP ! It's vote bank politics! Things that's extremely shocking is the criminal silence by all major political parties of Bihar on the issue that goes anti-dalits, anti-poor. The messiahs of dalits and mahadalits are nowhere in the sight. Except the lip service none of the Political parties has shown a plan to bring justice. It’s not for nothing everyone went silent. But it's amazing that BJP is silent on this issue. It is the main opposition that leaves no stone unturned to ghero Nitish since the friends part ways some 4 months ago. The BJP, who dares to project Narendra Modi as dalit must have to rethink on this.

The Mukhiya Factor
Incidentally, Brahmeshwar Singh Mukhiya the head of the Ranveer Sena, was never tried for his role in

the Laxmanpur-Bathe massacre. The case against him was closed as he was said to be ‘absconding’ and ‘untraceable’ which is absolutely wrong. All these long years from 2002 to 2010 he was enjoying secure environs of Ara Central Prison. This way the case has been deliberately weaken by the government under intense political pressure and our criminal justice system let it go as fair trial.

The Mainstream Media
Seems like the old adage "news is what happens to journalists and their families..." but now this time as the killers(as per lower court) are spared, the so called build nexus in our system around, over kills. Ever since the October 9, 2013, the verdict itself seems to have rattled no significant nation wide television consciences. All this week we heard is from fasting politicians, approaching cyclones, Asaram, Naraiyan Sai, and the Biryani factor for Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Sorry to God , but I think the number cruncher had only took sanyaas after the 200 match record. The mainstream media of this democratic nation has no time indeed to bring this story while the justice gets massacred.

Amit Sinha is a bilingual writer and research Journalist. He can be contacted at facebook.amit