Blindings a la Bhagalpur continue in Bihar. That horrific ‘instant justice’ of the 1980s was forgotten before filmmaker Amitabh Parashar discovered many latest victims of Operation Gangajal that is still prevalent in remote areas of the State, but never came out in the public domain.
Parashar, whose The Eyes of Darkness has been certified by the censor board for release, told Express that ‘blind justice’ is very common in Bihar. He discovered at least nine such cases in 2016.
The filmmaker claims he recorded an average of 10 blinding cases every year in the interiors of Bihar since 2012.
Shocking images from Bhagalpur shook the nation’s conscience in 1980s with barbaric tales of blinding. Some policemen took the law into their hands by pouring acid in the eyes of 33 undertrials to allegedly cleanse evil from the society.
After a nationwide furore, the unspeakable act wasn’t meant to last. But 36 years and an Ajay Devgn blockbuster—named Gangaajal—later, ‘street justice’ remains a hidden reality here where victims are angry that death was making them wait so long.
‘Gangajal will cleanse you’
Raju Alam, in his 20s, is one of the latest victims of Gangajal. A resident of Gaya district, Alam’s torture was allegedly attributed to fight over supremacy within his community.
Ajay Yadav, 24, a farmer from Madhepura, was dragged from his house by a mob led by his immediate neighbour on November 15. He said the mob forcefully overpowered him, punctured both his eyes with a knife and put acid in them with a syringe.
“The targets are petty criminals; sometimes even teenage boys and girls are blinded. Often ‘orchestrated group action’ masquerades as the public outrage, but the consequences are equally painful and tragic for the victims. What is even more shocking is that, despite the fact that police and administration have known such incidents, no action is taken in the majority of cases,” says Parashar. During a trip to Bhagalpur district recently, he came to know about a forcible blinding incident where villagers poured acid into the eyes of a cow thief.
“I met him to know his side of the story. He said the crowd beat him while a syringe full of acid was fetched and injected into his eyes. He also said while injecting acid, villagers told him, “Take Gangajal. This will cleanse you,” the filmmaker told .
Twenty-three years ago, Mohammed Shahid’s hands were tied by a mob following a minor scuffle over Holi in his village, Blachanda, in Araria district. Someone poked an acid-filled needle in the left eye to blind Shahid. His right eye survived the attack but not for long. In November 2014, he was attacked again; this time, his right eye was targeted with acid. He was to never see the world again. Shahid tells Express that the recent attack that left him completely blind is worse than death.
A mason, Shahid says the inhuman act lasted almost 15 minutes. Coughing and gasping for breath, Shahid begged the mob to spare him. But a few onlookers cheered his agony. Did he get justice? “No”, says Shahid, who is still awaiting trial in the first case filed 23 years ago.
Lawyer and activist from Bhagalpur, R K Mishra, said since 1980-81, blinding by Gangajal has never stopped in this dark region. Mishra, who has taken up the cause of victims, believes that taking a cue from the cops of 80s, ordinary citizens have also adopted blinding to punish petty crime and settle personal scores.
Crime lord who decided to lead a normal life
The Express spoke to Munna Thakur, a resident of Hingana village of Raniganj. A former criminal in his mid-30s, Thakur was involved in bank robberies and other crimes till 2010. But one day, he surrendered before police and spent about four years in jail.
He came out of prison in 2014 and in pursuit of a respectable living, decided to field his wife Indu Kumari for the village chief’s by-election against a candidate from a higher caste.
He was threatened with dire sequences and was asked to withdraw his wife’s nomination. Munna, however, decided to go ahead but ended up losing the election and both his eyes. A group of villagers led by the high caste village head’s husband blinded Munna and his friend Kanhaiya Thakur with an acid-filled syringe.
Living the death
Umesh Yadav, a survivor of the 1980 Bhagalpur blindings, recounts his horror. The then DSP V K Sharma thrust a long acid-filled needle in both of his eyes, leaving him completely blind.
Yadav says police tied his hands and feet in Kotwali Police station on February 16 that year. Then one of the constables sat on his chest, opened his eyes and poured acid in them. For Yadav, the long wait for justice brought nothing but deep anguish. “I’m not afraid of death but scared of living like this, with increasing dependency on others,” he says.
Bhagalpur became infamous in the 80s after 33 undertrials were blinded with acid injected into their eyes by the police in an alleged attempt to check crime. Fifteen of the 33 victims are still alive and surviving on Rs 750 monthly pension from the government.
The survivors, who have spent the last decades in the dark while waiting for a glimmer of justice, believe authorities and the state have been a part of the cover-up to keep the culprits out of prison. December 2016 was the same for Umesh and Shah as was 1980. Every day is a wait for death.