I along with the Palamau district secretary of CPI(M) Anil Kumar Pande visited Lotto village under Chhatarpur block in Palamau district on 21st November to find facts behind the killing of 12 persons -- children, pregnant women and the aged of a single family.

Entire family of Gafoor Mian in Lotto village was eliminated due to personal enmity and running battle between Mahendra Bhuiyan and Ibrahim Mian. Mahendra Bhuiyan had deep resentment against Ibrahim Mian's family concerning women. As a revenge Mahendra Bhuiyan killed Ibrahim Miyan on 20th September, 1999. Ibrahim Mian was instrumental in getting Mahendra Bhuiyan arrested by police on charges of being a naxalite. When Mahendra Bhuiyan got bail from jail he killed Ibrahim Mian on 20th September last. In retaliation Mahendra Bhuiyan was killed by Ibrahim Mian's gang in the month of October. Along with Mahendra Bhuiyan, 3 dalits were also killed. In retaliation, Mahendra Bhuiyan's gang killed the entire family of Gafoor Mian. It is said that Gafoor Mian was a relative of Ibrahim Mian, and one of his sons was included among the killers of Mahendra Bhuyian. In this no naxailite outfit was involved, nor there was any land dispute.

It is surprising that while killings from both the sides were going on and the tension was building up in the entire area since September, the police totally failed to intervene in time to stop this gang war. The police remains ill-equipped and inactive in this naxalite dominated area.

Apart from the law and order situation, there is a danger of communal flare-up between dalit Bhuiyans and minority Muslims as the RSS and BJP are trying to give it a communal colour. For fear of retaliation and police arrest, dalit Bhuiyans have deserted their villages. Gafoor Mian's surviving family members are also afraid of returning to their village for fear of retaliation. The administration has failed to build confidence among the minorities and dalits.

It will not be out of place to mention that a large number of CRPF personnel, deputed during the last parliamentary election in Palamau constituency, openly acted in favour of the BJP candidate, communalising the whole atmosphere before this massacre took place.

In another incident seven members of Gram Suraksha Vahini (the private armed groups to defend the villagers from armed dacoits) were killed by dreaded dacoit gang of Lalu Yadav. Those killed are also Yadavas.

Earlier this dacoit gang killed four villagers when they had gone to the dacoit infested area in Bagaha sub-division. In retaliation the Gram Suraksha Vahini attacked Lalu Yadav's house after some members of the Vahini had had an altercation with the Lalu gang on the question of grass cutting in Diyara area. As a consequences of that, the dacoit gang killed 7 persons of the Gram Suraksha Vahini of village Chandraha-Rupavalia under Bathwara police station of West Champaran district. (This area of West Champaran district is notorious for being dacoit infested. The state government has helped in the formation of Gram Suraksha Vahinis, i e village protection groups in these villages, which protect their villages from the dacoits.)

Here also the police is ill-equipped and inactive in this dacoit infested areas bordering UP and Nepal.

Apart from giving compensation to the survivors of the deceased, the police should be equipped and should win the confidence of common people in these dacoit and Naxal infested areas.