Why a community protest has rocked politics in southeastern Madhya Pradesh
After deaths of tribal children from a mysterious disease and the unearthing of ethanol scam, Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, tucked into the state’s southeastern region, bordering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, is making news again for the wrong reasons.
A community-based protest with potential political ramifications rocked the district last week after a pregnant woman and her husband alleged the police had beaten them up.
The couple had been questioned by Kirnapur police station personnel in a case of theft. An inspector and four other personnel were subsequently suspended after the matter reached the superintendent of police.
The couple belongs to the Marar Mali community, a politically and numerically significant community in the region. On September 15, members of the community held protests and attempted to ring-fence Kirnapur police station, demanding compensation for the couple and an FIR against the suspended police personnel.
The police responded with cane-charge and teargas. A large public meeting had preceded the attempt to gherao the police station.
Kirnapur, at one point part of the Maoist belt in Madhya Pradesh, is located in Lanji assembly constituency, represented by the ruling BJP’s Rajkumar Karrahe. He is a Lodhi community leader.
The seat was formerly held by Hina Kawre, a former deputy speaker of the legislative assembly. Her father Likhiram Kawre was killed by Maoists in 1998 while he was a minister. The Kawres hail from the Marar-Mali community.
While Lanji constituency has around 30 per cent Marar votes, the community is considered as significant in the other five assembly segments of Balaghat district too. This electorate makes up 10-15 per cent of the vote in the district.
Balaghat district is known for the Chinoor variety of rice and freshwater prawns. The BJP holds two assembly seats in the district, Lanji and Katangi, but it is the Congress that electorally dominates the region with six seats.
In Balaghat’s political caste matrix, then, retaining the Marar vote is imperative for either party to have a hold on the region. While assembly elections are over two years away, constantly managing caste-based voting groups remains a crucial strategy at all times. In this scenario, Balaghat has suddenly emerged with new challenges.
