More than a mob

At least one of the victims of the attack feels it was an assertion of dominance rather than a communal backlash.

“They could have killed many more but let most people go, and they did not misbehave with any Muslim woman,” says an elderly Muslim whose house was ransacked. “They wanted to teach us a lesson. Sahnis are the kings of the region and they do not like being challenged.”

The Sahnis number around one lakh in a radius of 10 km around Bahilwara and Azizpur. The politically most important caste among EBCs, they can tilt the power balance in Bihar. Bahilwara and Azizpur are part of Paru assembly seat of Muzaffarpur, and of Vaishali Lok Sabha seat.

The Sahnis are not well-off but known for their aggression. When police went to the spot where Bhartendu’s body was found, a senior officer said, they found over 8,000 people near the field. “We had a choice between staying away and losing our lives in the mob frenzy,” one officer was heard telling a senior.

Muslims have rarely defied them, and have in fact been traditionally friendly with various Hindu castes of all villages in Bahilwara North and Bahilwara South panchayats. In Azizpur, Muslims live in 150-odd households in three tolas, including the one where the houses were torched. They are mostly petty farmers and daily wagers.

Some police officers seek to link say Sahnis’ aggression to alleged Maoist links in most villages between Turki and Saraiya, a 16-km stretch, though police have no Sahni name on record. These pro-Maoist elements, they say, would have been capable of putting together the mob.

A Belsar resident recalls an instance of Sahni assertion from one-and-a-half years ago, when a boy had been arrested. “Over 50 Sahnis came from distant villages and got the boy freed,” he said. He alleged Muzaffarpur and Vaishali police know Maoists back Sahnis but have made hardly any arrests.

CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, Lalu Prasad and Sushil Kumar Modi are among the politicians visited the area. But no Sahni political leader has gone yet. Former MP Captain Jainarain Nishad and JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Anil Sahni are prominent caste leaders.  BJP leader Ajay Nishad tells The Indian Express from New Delhi: “It was a very sensitive matter and I have avoided a visit because any statement I made could have been misinterpreted as I am a Sahni leader. But I did call the SSP the moment I learnt about the incident.”

Asked if it was an assertion of Sahni dominance, Nishad says: “The discovery of the boy’s body provided the trigger. It is true that people of my caste are somewhat aggressive because of lack of education. The incident was a reaction and should not be seen from a caste or political angle.”

Police have removed four officials for negligence of duty. The CM on Wednesday visited the village and assured the guilty would not be spared. Muzaffarpur SSP R K Mishra said: “We are exploring all possible angles including involvement of outsiders or militants.”

Though Saraiya police have lodged a case against 2,000 people, the FIR names only 13 of them, all arrested. Eight of them are Sahnis, two are Bhagats (OBC) and the remaining three Paswans (SC). At least three of the Sahnis among the accused are not from Azizpur or Bahilwara.