A routine chase for unpaid wages in Bihar’s Darbhanga has spiraled into a caste confrontation, landing 220 villagers, mostly Brahmins, under the stringent SC/ST Act. The drama unfolded in Harinagar village on January 30, transforming a labor payment row into widespread violence.
Kailash Paswan halted Hemkant Jha’s sister and brother-in-law’s bike, insisting on Rs 2.47 lakh owed for construction labor. Sparks flew into a scuffle amid rising tempers. Villagers mediated briefly, but simmering resentment erupted during a January 31 panchayat, culminating in a brutal assault on Paswan’s area.
Brahmin group members allegedly arrived in numbers, smashing property and injuring 11 Dalits now hospitalized at Darbhanga Medical College. Viral footage reveals the pandemonium as demands turned to destruction.
Victim Ashrafi Paswan’s FIR names 70 and implicates 150 others in charges including SC/ST violations. Twelve have been detained, per SDPO Biroul, who pins the origin on unsettled dues. The opposing narrative frames it as a bilateral debt issue politicized by caste angles, with innocents wrongly implicated—claims partially validated by SC/ST advocates demanding refined chargesheets.
Fugitives among the accused evade capture amid village-wide unease. SC/ST Commission head Dhananjay Kumar’s hospital visit highlighted the needless escalation of a resolvable financial spat by mischief-makers. Backed by state orders and MP Chirag Paswan’s nudge, he prioritizes victim justice and punitive measures against disruptors.
As probes continue, this episode spotlights vulnerabilities in rural dispute resolution, where money matters morph menacingly into identity battles. Authorities must navigate delicately to uphold law without fueling divides.