New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday slammed the NDA government in Bihar over the incident of setting ablaze of houses in Nawada, saying it is another proof of the "jungle raj" prevailing in the state and exposes "the horrifying picture of injustice against the Bahujans" there.
While Congress leaders pegged the number of houses set ablaze at over 80, police said about 21 houses were set on fire in Nawada district.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, "Burning down the entire Mahadalit colony in Nawada and destroying the houses of more than 80 families is exposing the horrifying picture of injustice against the Bahujans in Bihar."
The cries of these Dalit families who have lost their homes and property and the terror created in the deprived society by the echo of the fierce firing have not been able to wake up the sleeping government of Bihar, he said in a post in Hindi on X.
"Such anarchist elements find refuge under the leadership of BJP and NDA allies - they scare and suppress the Bahujans of India, so that they are not able to demand their social and constitutional rights," Gandhi said.
"And, the Prime Minister's silence is a stamp of approval on this big conspiracy," he added.
The Bihar government and the state police should take immediate and strict action against all the culprits of this shameful crime and provide complete justice to the victim families by rehabilitating them, Gandhi said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the terror of goons on Mahadalit Tola in Bihar's Nawada is another proof of the "jungle raj" of NDA's double engine government.
"It is highly condemnable that about 100 Dalit houses were set on fire, firing was done and everything of poor families was snatched in the darkness of the night," Kharge claimed.
He alleged that the BJP and its allies' "utter indifference" towards Dalits and deprived, "criminal neglect" and encouraging anti-social elements is now at its peak.
"Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is silent as usual, Nitish (Kumar) ji is carefree in the greed for power and NDA's allies have become silent," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the incident of "burning down of more than 80 houses of Mahadalits" in Nawada, Bihar is extremely horrific and condemnable.
"Firing dozens of rounds and creating terror on such a large scale and rendering people homeless shows that the law and order situation in the state has completely collapsed," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
"The common rural-poor are forced to live in the shadow of insecurity and fear," she said.
"I demand from the state government that strict action should be taken against the bullies who commit such injustice and all the victims should be properly rehabilitated," Priyanka Gandhi said.
A day after 21 houses were set on fire in Nawada district, a top state government official said 15 people have been arrested in this connection. Preliminary investigations indicate that a land dispute may have triggered the incident, police said.
Nawada District Magistrate Ashutosh Kumar Verma told PTI, "The district police has arrested 15 people for allegedly torching the houses. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate further, and searches are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects." Verma said approximately 21 houses, some of which were semi-pucca, were burned by a group in Manjhi Tola.
He added that senior administrative and police officials on-site will provide a report detailing the exact number of damaged houses.
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