Rajesh Manjhi: The other Kerala Story no one is talking about

These days Kerala is in news for various reasons. But the most crucial reason of all is undoubtedly “The Kerala Story”. Some say that this truth should have come long ago, while some say that this is not the real “Kerala Story”. Quite right, because no one even wants to discuss the real “Kerala Story”.

Let’s find out about Rajesh Manjhi from Bihar, whose “Kerala Story” nobody wants to talk about, let alone shed light on.

Bihari immigrant murdered in Kerala

Recently, a 36-year-old Dalit laborer from Bihar’s East Champaran was tied up and beaten on suspicion of theft in Malappuram, Kerala. Nine people have been arrested in this incident – Afzal, Fazil, Sharafuddin, Mehboob, Abdusamad, Nasir, Habib, Ayub and Zainul. For about two and a half hours, the laborer’s hands were tied and he was beaten mercilessly with pipes and sticks. He was then thrown outside a shop. An hour later, the police got the information, following which the victim Rajesh Manjhi was then taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The killers also tampered with the evidence; the surveillance camera footage was deleted. The slain youth was also accused of theft in Kizhiseri area near Kondotti.

However, one of the principal reasons as to why there is no discussion about this incident is that the killers come from the Muslim community. Hiding the crimes committed by Muslims is not a new trend, it has been going on since a long time. The killers tried to evade prison by lying that Rajesh Manjhi fell from the first storey while trying to steal. However, this is not the first such incident in Kerala.

Also read: Migrant Muslims attack Christians at Kitex’s Christmas celebrations in Kerala

Why such double standards?

So, what has it got to do with P Vijayan? The very guy who had gone on to compensate a certain Junaid from north central India is mum on the recent incident.

Whenever there is a non-BJP party in the government, even if the crime there crosses all limits of barbarity, none dare to ask a single question from the ruling faction. Have you ever seen a debate between intellectuals on social media or in mainstream media on the news that a Dalit laborer from Bihar was beaten to death in Kerala, that too by Muslims?

Star anchors of mainstream media did not reach Kerala to cover the incident. There were no editorials on this incident in the newspapers. The intellectuals did not criticize the CPM government in the social media. Those who talked about Dalit interests remained silent. The group of fresh-faced senior journalists earning from YouTube did not share newspaper cuttings. The governance of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was not questioned. No compensation was announced for the family of the deceased.

Now compare this, to the incident on 22 June 2017. A youth named Junaid was killed in a train in a personal quarrel. Junaid, the sixth of the eight children of his parents, wanted to become an Imam. After his murder, a propaganda over mob lynching was run across the country and it was proclaimed that Hindu goons had killed him because of his religion. Junaid and his companions were returning from Delhi after Eid shopping when they had a fight with another group over a seat on the way.

Also read: How rampant conversions in Kerala made Christians popularize the term “Love Jihad”

Now Junaid had nothing to do with Kerala. Neither he was a resident of Kerala nor this incident happened in Kerala. But, the leftist government of Kerala had announced to give money to Junaid’s family. In August 2017, Kerala’s ruling party CPI(M) had announced that Rs 10 lakh would be given to Junaid’s family. This decision was taken in the meeting of the state committee of the party. Not only this, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also met the family. So, is Rajesh Manjhi not useful for them?

Maybe, otherwise how could the communists, who did not let go of an opportunity to profess their love for the backward casts, remain silent on such an incident? What would have happened if the accused were upper caste Hindus instead of Muslims, and the incident was from UP/MP? Hope we don’t have to explain that!