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Raj Narayan Yadav, Sarpanch of Sihama Panchayat, says that at the time when the land dispute was at its peak, the trend of taking up arms started in the village. The situation became such that weapons would come out even on small matters and this especially affected children under 18 years of age, who witnessed the violence very closely. According to the Sarpanch, the family in which…
Amit Kumar/Samastipur: Samastipur district of Bihar may be known for education, culture, sports and social activities, but Sihama village of Vithan police station area has been in the news for years for a different reason. This village has long been the center of land disputes and crimes arising from it. In the villages, land was no longer just a means of livelihood or wealth, rather it became the cause of rift in relationships and bloodshed that lasted for generations. According to the local people, Sihama gradually became known as a village where disputes and violence have become common. With time, the image of this village deteriorated so much that its effect became clearly visible from social relations to administrative system.
700 bighas of land and 28 deaths of the same family in almost 20 years
If the elders and sources of the village are to be believed, the root of the famous dispute of the village is related to a person named Hiyalal Rawat and his family. It is said that Hiyalal Rawat had five brothers and he owned about 700 bighas of land, which was considered the largest land holding in this area at that time. As the family expanded, mutual differences regarding distribution of land increased. These differences gradually turned into enmity and the dispute became so deep that about 28 people of the same family died in different years. The most horrifying thing about this violence was that those killed included innocent children of three years to elderly people of 80 years. This sequence continued for about 20 years and with every incident the fear and infamy of the village increased.
Sarpanch’s statement – weapons and today’s truth
Raj Narayan Yadav, Sarpanch of Sihama Panchayat, says that at the time when the land dispute was at its peak, the trend of taking up arms started in the village. He said that once the tradition of taking up arms started, the people around them also started joining it. The situation became such that weapons would come out even on small matters and this especially affected children under 18 years of age, who witnessed the violence very closely. According to the Sarpanch, in the family where most disputes and deaths occurred over land, a mutual agreement has now been reached and the situation is largely calm. The impact of the violence of that period still remains on the village. The level of education has declined, the social image of the village has been damaged and people also have to face difficulties in matters like marriage. Constant efforts are being made at the Panchayat level to resolve the disputes through dialogue, so that in the future, Sihama village is not known for crime but for peace and development.
