Dhamrai incident

The members of the minority Hindu community are suffering form a sense of insecurity after some armed groups pounced on them with the motive of grabbing their land. The trouble originated from the ownership of a water-body that had been settled by a court in favour of the minority community. So the attackers not only perpetrated a heinous crime but also violated a court verdict. Yet, the law enforcers were silent over the issue. The officer-in-charge of the local police station has said that he did not have enough force to counter the threats posed by the attackers. That is a point which the decision makers should take note of. Obviously, the vulnerable groups of people will have nobody to turn to if police themselves say that they had no way to prevent the mayhem.

The response from the local political leaders has also been equally depressing. The local MP appeared to be under the impression that it was a trifling matter that did not warrant a strong response from their side. He admitted having realised a bit late that things had taken a serious turn. Obviously, the victims were expecting the local leaders to come to their rescue and it is evident that routine assurances with no specific action plan to rein in the criminals will not be enough.

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Land grabbing by influential people with political clout is a problem that the members of the minority community often complain about. The grabbers take advantage of the vulnerability of the minority community aggravated by the weak presence of the law enforcers and the lack of willingness at the political level to stop the illegal activity. The Dhamrai incident has clearly shown how the members of the minority community were targeted despite a court verdict in their favour.

The incident must not be treated as an ordinary crime. Crimes like these can deal fatal blows to communal harmony and greatly erode the confidence of the minority communities in the efficacy of the existing law enforcement system. The culprits must immediately be brought to book and measures adopted to ensure the safety of the local Hindus.