India: In Bihar the encroachment of Muslim graveyards by Hindus, reflects growing tensions between the two communities

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In Bihar, graveyard politics plays up
To prevent desecration of Muslim graveyards, JD(U) has expedited the fencing of these graveyards by spending some Rs.400 crore
Utpal Bhaskar

First Published: Mon, Aug 26 2013. 10 44 PM IST
A graveyard in suburbs of Patna in a thickly populated Muslim area. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Nawada/Nalanda/Patna
: In Bihar, the living are fighting over the dead, with the encroachment of Muslim graveyards by Hindus, reflecting growing tensions between the two communities in the state even as simmering tensions threaten to boil over in Ayodhya in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh over building a Ram temple at a disputed site where a mosque once stood.
In an attempt to prevent the desecration of Muslim graveyards, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), government has expedited the fencing of these graveyards by spending some Rs.400 crore.
“Graveyards have always been an issue. It is a huge issue and is becoming a flashpoint across the state,” said a state government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “In the absence of fences, it is very difficult to demarcate what is sarkaari (government) land and what is private land.”
The government plans to put fences around more graveyards to diffuse communal tensions.
“Even in the case of riots in Nawada, mazaars were destroyed,” the official said. Mazaar is a Urdu word for the grave of a holy man.
The Nawada riots saw pitched battles between security forces and rioters on 11 August in Nawada, some 100km from state capital Patna.
“Mazaars have been broken. Even Karbala has been destroyed. Communal problems are due to this graveyard issue,” said a second state government official, who also didn’t want to be identified.
Religious processions are held to commemorate the death of Imam Hasan. It is at the Karbala that Tazia or flags carried by the procession are buried.
The JD(U)-ruled administration has been at pains to describe the riots, in which at least two people died, as part of “a well thought out conspiracy”, and alleged that its erstwhile ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had a hand in instigating the violence. Its former ally, in turn, has termed the event a result of the government’s “dwindling control on civil administration”. In the 243-seat state assembly, the JD(U) has 115 members and the BJP, 91.
The 17-year-old alliance between JD(U) and BJP soured after Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was named BJP’s chief election campaigner and the possibility arose of him being named as a prime ministerial candidate at the national elections due by May 2014.
Socially disadvantaged Muslims form a key vote bloc for the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U). Modi is accused by human rights activists of not doing enough during the large-scale killing of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. Modi denies any wrongdoing.
Amir Subhani, principal secretary in Bihar’s home department, tried to play down the issue and said, “It (Nawada riots) was a very small matter. It was a fight at a dhaba that escalated.”
The riots in Nawada started after a scrap on 10 August at a roadside eatery called Baba ka Dhaba owned by a Hindu. The violence led to Muslim shops being gutted in the Vijay Bazaar area and allegations of kanwarias (Shiva devotees) being assaulted on National Highway 31.
In response to a question about whether the riots were a conspiracy as described by the district administration, Subhani said, “We are looking into every aspect of the matter.”
He declined to comment on incidents of communal violence increasing after the split in the state’s ruling alliance in June. “Political commentary is not my job,” Subhani said. “You are free to draw your inferences.”
An analyst said encroachments on graveyards were a problem, although he implied that the issue had more to do with economics than anything else, not altogether surprising in a country where land remains the primary source of wealth for most people.
“Graveyards have become a point of friction. All the common land, whether it is graveyards for Hindus or Muslims, have seen encroachment by powerful people. However, if the Hindus react, it seems that they have a right to react, while in the case of Muslims, it is termed communal,” said D.M. Diwakar, director of Patna-based A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies.
Of a total of 8,064 graveyards that have been identified for fencing, 4,500 have already been fenced with the work going on at 1,800 graveyards. More graveyards are likely to be identified depending upon their sensitivity. According to the 2001 Census, around 16.5% of Bihar’s population is made up of Muslims, compared with the national average of 13.4%.
“There were some issues earlier with encroachment, to which the government has helped with fencing,” said Jhunnu (who only uses one name), a grave digger at Shahgunj graveyard in Patna.
There is a new political narrative in Bihar, where, unlike the last elections where development was central to the poll agenda, in the next Lok Sabha elections, the electorate will be polarized along religion and caste lines, Mint reported on 16 August.
According to Bihar’s home department data, the state witnessed 9,768 incidents of riots in 2011. The number of incidents went up to 10,871 in 2012 and this year has seen 5,760 in the six months to June, of which 1,241 incidents happened in June alone.
Communal tensions have been simmering in other sensitive districts such as Araria, Kishanganj, Bettiah, Khagaria, Nawada, Jamui, Nalanda and Gaya.
“If fencing is done then the boundary is fixed. It works well,” Diwakar said. “But there have been cases where the fences have come down and the graveyard has become a thoroughfare.”
The Bihar government claims that the fencing of graveyards has helped improve the situation.
“Disputes have come down due to fencing of graveyards,” said Subhani. “Some very old and chronic disputes have also been solved in the process.”
While the elections for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state are due in 2014, the state elections are due in 2015.
“Law and order has improved. The government has established rule of law. Police infrastructure has been strengthened and the force strength has been increased and trail and convictions by the courts have been ensured,” said Subhani.
Bihar has a police force of 70,000. As part of a force-strengthening programme, 20,000 constables have been appointed, with 43,000 new recruitment of policemen to take place in the next five years. The state saw 11,962 and 10,346 convictions in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Till June, 4,838 were convicted by the courts.