ARA MP DEMANDED ARREST OF MURDERER OF MEENA DEVI MANOJ MANZIL’S APPEAL REJECTED AT THE BEHET OF THE GOVERNMENT

ARA MP DEMANDED ARREST OF MURDERER OF MEENA DEVI

MANOJ MANZIL’S APPEAL REJECTED AT THE BEHET OF THE GOVERNMENT

15-OCT-ENG 17

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------Shiv Prakash Ranjan, addressing a press conference at the CPI-ML district office in Sritola, Ara, said that Bariswan in Bhojpur has been a village dominated by feudal lords. On the afternoon of September 28th, Kanhaiya Tiwari insulted Anish Kumar Kashyap, a Dalit youth, sitting under a tree on the platform of the village's Devi Sthan, by saying, "How dare you, being a Chamar, sit in the Devi Sthan?" When he protested, he was manhandled. Anish's father separated the two, but within a short time, a large number of criminals attacked the house. The parents and other members of the Dalit community who came to intervene were chased and beaten. Anish's mother, Sili Devi, fell unconscious due to this beating, and others were seriously injured. To withdraw the written complaint filed at the police station that evening, an even larger number of attackers returned the next day, 29.10.25, armed with sticks, rods, bats, and axes. Many people were chased and beaten again. 62-year-old Meena Devi, who had gone there to inquire about Sili Devi, who had been injured the previous day, was also attacked. She was hit on the head with a stick and kicked on the stomach! Badly injured, Meena ji was admitted to Shahpur Referral Hospital, a private hospital in Ara and finally to PMCH in Patna where she died on the evening of 1st October! Ramji Ram, retired from the Indian Army in 2004, returned to the village with his wife's body without conducting a post-mortem to show his mother's face to his four young sons! Later, the post-mortem was conducted in Ara! Despite a written complaint about the incident, the police did not arrive on the first day. Upon the arrival of the body, the police, under pressure, convinced the family to cremate the body, promising to arrest the criminals within seven days. The criminals and their families have absconded, locking their homes. Villagers reported that not a single Dalit family in Bariswan, a community of approximately 550 households, owns land. They earn their livelihood by working on the attackers' farms. Elderly women farm laborers are often abused and slapped. Vikas Ram, the husband of the injured Sili Devi, wept, saying that he has to endure abuse and humiliation daily. He can no longer live in this village. Villagers also reported that in the past, Jairam Tatvan, a vegetable vendor from the Tatvan caste, was also subjected to feudal oppression for asking for a loan and was thrown to death on a pole. This is just the latest example of the free rein and protection given to feudal criminals under the 20-year Modi-Nitish double-engine government, which ran on the slogan of development with justice and good governance. The wife of a soldier who served the country all his life was murdered simply because she is a Dalit. This should be strongly opposed and a call should be made to overthrow this government to create a new Bihar.

Addressing the press conference, CPI-ML State Committee member and Agiaon MLA Shiv Prakash Ranjan described the High Court's decision as disappointing and stated that it will be challenged in the Supreme Court. He also stated that this decision appears to have been made at the behest of the Patna-Delhi regime, which protects anti-Dalit and anti-poor feudal criminals. The case in which Manoj Manzil and other innocent people from Bargaon were convicted was a conspiracy by the government. It is noteworthy that the body of the person whose murder they are accused of has not even been recovered, yet all of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment!

CPI-ML leaders stated that the people of Bihar and Bhojpur will thwart the conspiracy to suppress the claims of the poor and teach a strong lesson in the elections, overthrowing the anti-poor government.

CPI-ML State Committee member Qayamuddin Ansari stated that the current Nitish Kumar-BJP government, along with local BJP MLA Amarendra Pratap Singh, has done nothing for the development of Ara. He is only seen at religious events. The Municipal Corporation has a budget of 5,000 crore rupees for the development of Ara, but this development money has been lost to plunder and corruption. He further stated that issues such as unemployment, civic amenities like education, health, and women's harassment will be part of the election campaign. He stated that the Nitish Kumar-BJP government, which has become a burden on the people of Bihar, has plundered the hard-earned money of the people of Bihar through BJP ministers. Nitish Kumar, who boasts of eliminating corruption, is maintaining silence.