AFTER the elections to the Lok Sabha, violence and hatred is being spread in Begusarai, in Bihar. On May 26, Mohammad Qasim was shot in the chest allegedly by Raju Yadav who is supposedly a liquor baron of the region and supplies illegal liquor(sale of liquor is an offence in Bihar).Qasim who is a native of Khanjapur village works as a salesman; he had gone to Kumbhi village to sell the produce in a mobile van. Raju Yadav, asked his name; and on finding out that he is a Muslim started a quarrel and asked Qasim , what is he doing in India he should go to Pakistan, and shot at him in the chest.

Qasim ran for help, with blood oozing out from his chest; a woman helped her by pressing the wound and suggested that he should meet the village sarpanch. The sarpanch took Qasim to the police station and a case was registered. Qasim was taken to the district hospital in Begusarai. He was later operated in another hospital and the bullet was removed from his body and he is now out of danger.

The CPI(M) leaders of the state including Arun Mishra and Suresh Yadav, the district secretary of Begusarai visited the hospital on May 27 and assured Qasim and his family of all support.

Mohammad Jahid, who is a disabled person, is the younger brother of Qasim; he  narrated the incident to the CPI(M) delegation and said that such a toxic environment was never witnessed in the past. Never, in the past, they were threatened to go to Pakistan, he said. Fear in the family members was quite evident.

Ashok Yadav, uncle of Raju Yadav who shot Qasim, is a member of the zila parishad. He supports the illegal activities of Raju Yadav; the police of the region are also bribed by the duo. Till date Raju Yadav has not been arrested. Instead there are efforts at the behest of the police to implicate Qasim in a false liquor trade.

Begusarai is witnessing criminal incidents one after the other. An activist of the CPI was murdered; a young woman was threatened with rape; a young couple was beaten up; such incidents are occuring very frequently in Begusarai.

There is a serious challenge to the democratic movement in Begusarai after the victory of Giriraj Singh in the Lok Sabha. This region has seen strong democratic movements in which a large number of communists were martyred.There is a need to build series of movements on the basis of communal harmony in every village, movement on problems of the people and other class issues.

The district committee of the Party met the superintendent of police of Begusarai district and demanded immediate arrest of the culprit. The Party has also demanded free health care and adequate security to the family of Qasim.