Clamour for Rabri8217;s sack after Dalits massacre

The ruling RJD however alleged that the BJP had close links with the Ranabir Sena and a thorough enquiry was needed into the massacre.

8220;The State Government will not spare anyone involved in the gruesome killing and all possible steps are being taken to apprehend those responsible for the slaughter,8221; Rabri Devi said before leaving for the massacre site.

Governor S S Bhandari, speaking to reporters at Raj Bhavan after the R-Day ceremony, said: 8220;If such incidents continue to happen, some sternmeasures would have to be taken.8221; Bhandari will also send a detailed report to the Centre. Sources said a team of Home Ministry officials will visit Rukhsagar soon.

The Ranabir Sena, a private army of upper-caste landlords in Bihar, gunned down 22 people, including six children and five women, last night in the Rukhsagar Bigha village under the Mehandia police station in Jehanabad. The victims were all from backward castes and included several Dalits.

At least 12 people were seriously wounded in the attack, the first major strike by the Sena since it killed 61 people in adjoining Lakshmanpur Bathe in December 1997.

While some were killed in their sleep, others were dragged out of their homes and shot. Police suspect that the massacre was carried out to avenge the killing of two Sena activists last week by the Naxalite group, the Maoist Communist Centre.

Ironically, the attack came the day the President called for an end to atrocities against the backward classes and women. Such attacks have nowbecome a regular feature in the State. Each time, the Opposition calls for President8217;s Rule citing, 8220;breakdown of the Constitutional machinery8221; and the Government cites 8220;systemic8221; faults as the cause. What is ignored is the failure of the police and the administration despite early warning signals.

On January 8, for instance, prime suspect Barmeshwar Singh, chief of the Ranabir Sena, had in an interview to a local newspaper admitted that the Sena had chosen its target and was only waiting for the 8220;right time8221; to strike.

Eyewitnesses said that the attackers, armed with sophisticated weapons, crossed the Sone river from Bhojpur. They surrounded the village before choosing about a dozen houses and breaking the doors open. Some villagers said the goons had tried to attack a nearby village but after stiff resistance from the Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist Liberation, they moved on and attacked Rukhsagar since it was a 8220;softer target.8221;

Angry villagers refused to allow senior Biharofficials to take the bodies for cremation demanding Chief Minister Rabri Devi visit the site. She, along with Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, reached the village later in the afternoon. Police said a 8220;massive combing operation8221; had been launched and all exit points of Jehanabad and adjacent Bhojpur districts sealed.