Who Stole the Horses' Land?
Outlook|November 21, 2024
The Bharatiya Janata Party plays the "illegal Bangladeshi" card in poll-bound Jharkhand
Md Asghar Khan
Who Stole the Horses' Land?

A small patch of land around 30 km southwest of Martello Tower and Sidhu Kanu Park in Jharkhand’s Pakur district town became a battleground this July between adivasis and Muslims over ownership, four months ahead of assembly polls, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma raising the allegation of “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants” grabbing land from indigenous people, carrying clear undertones of the familiar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) narrative in the Northeastern state. The Muslims were accused of encroaching on tribal land and retaliating violently when opposed. The clashes stopped only after Section 144 was imposed in Gaibthan village of Maheshpur block in the Santhal Pargana region. When Sarma and BJP State President Babulal Marandi visited the area a few days after the clashes, both linked the Muslim residents of Gaibthan village to Bangladeshi infiltration.

“I don’t know where they came from, but they have been here since my grandfather’s time,” says 48-year-old Hopni Marandi, sitting on a cot outside the mud house of her son, Parmeshwar Hembram, on the edge of the disputed plot. “My grandfather gave them this land so they could keep their horses here. We did not object when they built a house here after my father-in-law died. But when we started building a house on our land adjacent to it, they began protesting. Hence the conflict.” Asked whether the Muslim families residing here are from Bangladesh, Marandi’s statements are clear—they took the land from her grandfather, and the family has lived here for at least generations.

This story is from the November 21, 2024 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 21, 2024 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OUTLOOKView All
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Outlook

Trump's White House 'Waapsi'

Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future

time-read
6 mins  |
November 21, 2024
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Outlook

IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024

Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024

time-read
2 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
Outlook

Identity and 'Infiltrators'

The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.

time-read
1 min  |
November 21, 2024
Beyond Deadlines
Outlook

Beyond Deadlines

Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics

time-read
2 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Portraying Absence
Outlook

Portraying Absence

Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence

time-read
4 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
Outlook

Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains

In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans

time-read
5 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Hemant Versus Himanta
Outlook

Hemant Versus Himanta

Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics

time-read
5 mins  |
November 21, 2024
A Smouldering Wasteland
Outlook

A Smouldering Wasteland

As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children

time-read
1 min  |
November 21, 2024
Search for a Narrative
Outlook

Search for a Narrative

By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters

time-read
5 mins  |
November 21, 2024
The Historic Bonhomie
Outlook

The Historic Bonhomie

While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie

time-read
5 mins  |
November 21, 2024