What happened on October 24, 1989 could be described as a riot, but what followed over the next month was nothing but an organised massacre of the Muslims.It's 30 years today when worst communal riot of independent India had started in Bhagalpur. 24 October 1989, around 1.30 pm to be precise. The procession of Ram Paduka pujan was to cross a Muslim area, a politician said to have arranged some local funds to throw crude bombs on the procession. And it all started. KS Dwiwedi,SP ordered shooting.The procession took other route. Killing of muslims living in pockets started. All prominent shops belonging to muslims in the main market were looted and set on fire. Well off people participated in looting & arson. By evening massive killing of muslims had already taken place in city wherever they are in small numbers. Nayabazar, Parbatti, Jogsar, Ishakchak, Khanjarpur and many. Majority of muslims families killed or they managed to flee.
The fire of riot spread to outskirts of Bhagalpur. In Chanderi gaon, near Sabour 96 muslims were butchered and dumped near a pond. In another village Logain hundreds killed and buried in field and small plants were planted above them. Two villages, Logain with around 118 dead and Chanderi with around 70 dead, received decent press coverage over the years, and with strong witnesses they would see prosecutions over a decade and more later. But the killings at Bhatoriya (85 dead), Rasalpur (30 dead), Padghari (27 dead), Chajghora (25 dead), and Silampur-Amanpur (77 dead), saw prosecutions and then bails, settled cases with killers roaming free, till date.
Many muslim areas were raised by police and intellectual class was arrested from home. Doctors, professors, engineers were arrested. Every individual who were affected had a story to tell. Some lost his brother in front of his eyes. Some saw his old mother being killed. The pain and anguish was unbearable. Feeling of complete disdain and despair.Police was combing muslim localities. Hindu youths calling them uncle taking them one house to other for conducting searches. The children & old were humiliated like anything. BSF came to city after 3-4 days of rioting.
Like maximum of the other deadliest anti-Muslim riots, Bhagalpur 1989 riots were also highly organized, backed by the government and Hindutva outfits. Congress governments at state and center played an important role in harbouring the rioters. Police and its senior officers were siding with Hindu mobs are they did nothing to stop them. Casualties were so.much high that even after the months of the riots, people kept finding the dead bodies from fields, canals and ponds. A few victics were compensationed and more few killers were punished.
