Patna: A mahadalit community was beaten up when they were resisting power theft from their community transformer, first by upper caste men and later, by local policemen at Adilapur in Neora under Bihata Police station, on Thursday night, 25 km east Patna.

On Thursday night, when the musahar community, the lowest in caste hierarchy of Hindu religion, men had stopped the upper caste men from hooking up their wire to their community transformer for electricity. This incident left six dalits injured.

According to Bawa nath Manjhi, 40, who didn’t bear any physical injury but made claim of internal shoulder injury, says; ‘They (upper caste men) had disconnected our wire from their transformer a year ago. How could we allow them from our community transformer’.

Adilpur village had only one transformer of 63 KV, a year ago, which was often got defunct due to over load shedding. The upper caste men, who claimed their transformer, had hooked off the wire of mahadalit houses.

The upper caste dominated village has sizeable Musahar population.

The mahadalit community also got their transformer, under mahadalit vikas yojana scheme, in their parts of village, in last October, 2011.

The conflict started from this 17 June, 2012, when the old transformer (of upper caste) got dysfunctional.

‘We allowed them for three days when they gave assurance that they would un-hook their wire without delay’ claimed Bhuneshwar Manjhi, 22, who also bear the brunt of police cane on thigh and hands.

‘When we unhooked their wire on 21 June, they got angry and attacked on us’ added Bhuneshwar.

‘Then after we moved to police station for our security but they didn’t listen and rudely asked us to move away’ says Anuj manjhi, 25 yrs.

Anuj further added ‘Later, we went to our Panchayat head, Swami Nath paswan, who suggested us to block the Bihata-Khagaul road’

 

‘Our move infuriated the Bihata police station and ordered the policemen to charge their cane. This led to more injury’ says Raj Kumari, 50, whose right hand faced the police cane and got swelling.

Inspector of Bihta Police station, Dineshwar Prasad, had not responded even after repeated attempt. While, Sub-Inspector, Rajesh Kumar denied incident of cane charge. ‘They came to police station; we didn’t get any written complaint, yet. Mr Dineshwar Prasad handled them’ says Mr Kumar.

Dhananjay Sharma, an upper caste man of Adilabad village, alleged the musahar as evil of society and made claim over the transformer, also.

 

‘The transformer is of the government, not of the community’ says belligerent Sharma.

Rastriya Janta Dal, general secretary (Youth wing), Shiv Chander Ram had, also, visited the incident site.

from-  Jitendra, [email protected]