Patna: Pura village, which witnessed an exodus by hundreds of Mahadalits who were threatened by upper caste men, will be developed as a model village, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said Friday.
“The government will develop it as a model village and a permanent police station would be set up for security of Mahadalits,” Manjhi told media soon after his return from England after a four-day trip.
Manjhi said the government would build concrete roads and provide electricity and drinking water to the village soon.
“All houses of Mahadalits would be built under the Indira Awas Yojna,” he said.
Manjhi said that he has instructed top police officials to take strict action against the accused in the case.
“The law will take its own course in this case,” he said.
Earlier, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP Friday demanded Manjhi’s resignation over the exodus.
“It is unfortunate and the chief minister should resign immediately because of his government’s failure to protect the Mahadalits, his castemen, in his home district Gaya,” Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) state president Pasupati Kumar Paras told media persons here.
Police said nearly 300 Mahadalits fled Pura village Thursday after they were allegedly threatened by upper caste residents.
The Mahadalits were camping in the block office in Tekari over the killing of a Mahadalit, who had filed his nomination for an election, police said.
The opposition BJP and the ruling JD-U’s new ally RJD and Congress also condemned the incident and demanded security for Mahadalits.
State police chief P.K. Thakur said it is a serious matter and the Mahadalits would be provided full security.
Meanwhile, Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Nishant Kumar Tiwari said four of the six accused in the case have been arrested.
However, the Mahadalits are reluctant to return to their village as they fear for their lives, police official Pradip Kumar said.
Police said Arjun Manjhi of the village was killed after he filed nomination papers for the election to the post of president of the primary agriculture cooperative society.
Kumar said Mahadalits have made it clear that they would return to the village only after police arrest seven named as accused in the complaint filed by Arjun Manjhi’s family. They have also threatened to stage protests in Gaya town if the accused were not arrested soon.