Category: Bihar

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Bihar: Government fights Naxalite guerrillas in Munger

Munger fort, Credit – Wikipedia

NK SINGH

Published in Point of View, 18 September 1971

[Here is a factual account, sent to us at the end of July 1971, of the steps government has taken to deal with Naxalites in some districts in Bihar. It is clear that the movement is menacing for the government. – Editor, Point of View]

Six thousand troops are ready to take action. The place is under the direct charge of a special police squad comprising border experts, senior intelligence officers and combatant section of the Military Police.

Besides the Central Reserve Police, service of more than three hundred jawans of the Bihar Military Police has been requisitioned from NEFA. The local police have also been asked to stand by for any emergency that the special squad may need in emergency.

The armed forces are functioning from a number of static camps and mobile units equipped with wireless vans. Continue reading “Bihar: Government fights Naxalite guerrillas in Munger”

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The hunting hounds: Jail killings in Bihar

Prison, a painting by Vincet van Gogh

NK SINGH

Published in Frontier, 28 August 1971

Bihar is closely following the pattern set up by West Bengal; jail-killings have started here too. But, thank God, the iron has not yet entered the soul of Biharis.

There was much hue and cry — termed by a local newspaper as “wide public resentment” over the firing in Patna Jail on July 7 and in Hazaribagh Jail on July 25 in which 2 and 17 prisoners were killed respectively.

At both these places the killings were attributed to alleged “jail-breaking” attempts by Naxalite prisoners. Continue reading “The hunting hounds: Jail killings in Bihar”

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दिल की लालटेन तो हर हाल में जलेगी: जीते या हारें, लालू नेता नहीं स्टाइल हैं

Caricature of Laloo Yadav by KV Gautam

Secret behind Laloo Yadav’s success, and failure

NK SINGH

Published in Aha Zindagi, March 2005

अहा! जिंदगी के लिए पटना में लालू प्रसाद यादव के साथ नरेन्द्र कुमार सिंह

बिहार के गांवों में ‘छोटी‘ जाति के गरीब-गुरबों में मनोरंजन के दो सबसे लोकप्रिय साधन हैं. एक है बिदेसिया जो गीत-संगीत और नाच-गाने से भरपूर नौटंकी का एक फार्म है. दूसरा है लौंडा नाच, जिसमें बाईजी की जगह लड़कियों की वेष-भूषा में – कमसिन लड़के पेट्रोमेक्स की रोशनी में नाचते हैं।

पर वह बिदेसिया हो या लौंडा नाच, एक चरित्र उसमें अनिवार्यतः रहता है – लबरा, विकटा या नकटा।

नकटे की भले ही नाक कटी हो, चेहरा आड़ा-टेढ़ा हो, पर बड़ों-बड़ों पर अपना मसखरापन आजमाने से वह बाज नहीं आता।

जब विकटा स्वागत शैली में क्रूर, कंजूस जमींदार पर अपने व्यंग्यबाण छोड़ता है तो उसकी बोली न केवल लोगों को गुदगुदाती है बल्कि कही अंदर गहराई तक छू भी जाती है।

पारदर्शी धूर्तता से भरपूर नकटा बुरी ताकतों से लड़ता है और हीरो की अनुपस्थिति में बीच-बीच में नाचकर भी लोगों का मनोरंजन करता है।

भारतीय राजनीतिक रंगमंच पर एक हीरो की लगातार चल रही अनुपस्थिति का लालू यादव भरपूर फायदा उठा रहे हैं। वे अपना और अपनी विकटा शैली का महत्व अच्छी तरह पहचान गए हैं। Continue reading “दिल की लालटेन तो हर हाल में जलेगी: जीते या हारें, लालू नेता नहीं स्टाइल हैं”

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Bihar: Force requisitioned from NEFA to fight Naxalites in Munger

Surajgarha, the epicentre of Naxalite movement in Munger, Credit – Facebook

NK SINGH

From Young Indian, 26 August 1971

The place is under the charge of a special police squad comprising of border experts, senior intelligence officers and combatant section of the military police for several months. Besides the Central Reserve Police, services of than three hundred jawans of the Bihar Military Police have been requisitioned from NEFA. The armed forces are functioning from a number of static camps and mobile units equipped with wireless vans.

But the guerrillas come from nowhere and carry out their missions successfully, that is, “annihilate the enemy”, despite all the tight security arrangements. This is not happening in the remote forests of Nagaland but in the plaints of Bihar. Continue reading “Bihar: Force requisitioned from NEFA to fight Naxalites in Munger”