Guwahati (Assam): The lone Hindu family in a Muslim-dominated village in the Morigaon district of Assam has been continuously harassed and threatened to kill by goons to grab ancestral property. Their houses were burnt, and they were threatened to leave the property and flee.
The story is about Raju Ravidas and his family, whose ancestors migrated to Assam from Bihar during the British era. For more than 100 years, Raju Ravidas’ family have been living in a village in the Laharighat area in the Morigaon district. They have almost one acre of land where they live. But they are the only Hindu family in the village surrounded by migrated Muslims.
There were hundreds of Hindu families in the area, but most of them left the place because of Islamic aggression. Around 16 Hindu families lived in one corner of the village. Still, the Raju Ravidas family was surrounded by Muslim families only. Their neighbour Abdul Jalil has been eying on their ancestral land for a long time. Jalil and his family of 25 members started threatening Ravidas and his family. The victim Tulsi Das, the mother of Raju Ravidas, said that Abdul Jalil often attacked and beat her family members, but they couldn’t leave their property.
Recently, Raju Ravidas was threatened in the nearby market. A few years back, when the family went to attend a family function, their house was burnt by miscreants.
On Sunday, the family’s painful story was covered by a local news channel. After that, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asked the district administration to ensure the safety and security of the family.
Morigaon SP and administration rushed to the village on Monday and assured complete security to the family. Members of the Hindu community in the area told the media that their situation was challenging. There are only less than 20 Hindu families in the area. The vast population influx of Muslims in the area in the last few decades has reduced the Hindus to a micro minority.
Most Hindu families sold their ancestral properties there and left for other places. But few families still there are facing constant threats from Muslims. It is good that the incident came to the notice of the CM, and he immediately took action. The administration assured to provide security as of now. But the big question is how far will protection be provided? After that, what would be the fate of those Hindu families?
