On August 21, 2023, the peaceful town of Bagaha in Champaran, Bihar, was disrupted by a clash during the Mahaviri pilgrimage. The incident was triggered by a rumor about damage to an idol, which led to unrest and subsequent stone-pelting.
The situation escalated quickly, resulting in several vehicles being set ablaze and about a dozen of individuals, including police officers, being injured. Of the wounded, six have been admitted to the sub-divisional hospital, while the others received treatment at private medical facilities.
The local administration, led by District Magistrate Dinesh Kumar Rai, swiftly took measures to restore peace in the area. Despite, the situation remained tense in the area. Dharmendra Yadav, SHO of Darpa Police Station, was among those injured in the incident.
The violence affected at least a dozen places in East and West Champaran, with Bagha and Motihari town being severely affected. Hundreds of men took out saffron flags and raised slogans hailing Prime Minister ‘Narendra Modi’, in what was supposed to be a religious rally.
There were also reports of stone-pelting when the march was passing from Pipra village to Pachhiyari Tola.
In response to the escalating violence, the Bihar government imposed a ban on social media sites in the Bagaha sub-division of West Champaran district from August 22 to August 24.
Meanwhile, Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh compared the incident with July 31 violence in Nuh, Haryana. Referring to reports, Singh commented, Opposition bloc INDIA which accused Prime Minister Modi of creating the strife… has actually sown hatred amongst people with its appeasement politics in the last 75 years.
It’s worth noting that Champaran hasn’t experienced any recent incidents of communal clashes.
