Monday, October 22, 2012

No Protests For The Casteless Victim


By Manuwant Choudhary

Madhubani in Bihar is more famous for its paintings but in recent weeks it hit the headlines with violence.

A 17-year-old boy Prashant Jha went missing and after  a few days a headless body was found.

But the police refused to hand over the headless body to the family members of Prashant Jha although the family insisted that from the clothes found on the victims body it was clear the body was that of Prashant.

And so began the violence...police stations and government offices were torched..as well as government vehicles.

And while this was going on Bihar's two powerful politicians were on their yatras.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on his `Adhikar' yatra to get a `Special Status' for Bihar (although it is him who is responsible for dividing Bihar and making Bihar poor) and Laloo Yadav on a `Parivartan' yatra (notto change Bihar but to change the Chief Minister).

So the Madhubani violence ended both the yatras.....

The Communists called for a Bihar bandh and Laloo supported the bandh.

Under pressure Nitish Kumar transferred very good police officers of the region who were only doing their job (and insisted on a DNA test of the body) but the new officers hand over the body to the family of Prashant Jha.

And just when the opposition felt they had achieved their political aims the boy Prashant Jha was found with a girl Preeti Choudhary far away in Delhi (they had both run away from home and their state and only because they were in love) Is there no place for love in Bihar?

And Laloo looked dismal that his party had supported a bandh for a victim who is actually alive.

And Nitish said Laloo should apologise to the people of Bihar.

The Bihar police said Look we told you so.....

So after all this when people tried to contact the family members of Prashant Jha with the good news, no one was home because they were on the burning ghats to cremate the headless victim.

But no one in Bihar called for a protest for the headless, casteless victim.

He was not even  a Jha.

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