Ground Report: In Patna, the capital of Bihar, you get a flat after seeing the caste.
June 15, 2022
What’s your full name? Uncle Saurabh, what happened to the certificate name? Uncle Suman Saurabh, O.. Papa’s name?
Devnarayan Saurabh. Listen Saurabh, we come from Kayastha family. So the atmosphere will be good here. You have to live in the same way. So what was your caste? Uncle, we are Paswan. Ok! We will tell you after talking to our elder brother. After that the landlord’s phone did not come to Saurabh. This incident is from Boring Road area of Patna. Saurav says, this situation is usually of the whole of Patna.
Rehan, who belongs to the Muslim community, says, “Most of the boys of the Muslim community will be found in Musallahpur, Sabzibagh and Raja Bazar. Because there is a good number of Muslims there. Muslim boys are easily kept in lodges in Hindu-dominated areas. Whereas no one is ready to keep them in the flat.
Easy to lodge but hard to flat
Patna of Bihar is a haven for government job seekers. Where lakhs of students come. That’s why here the earning of the local people runs from the rent. Many people make flats and some lodges and give rooms to the boys on rent.
Roshan Jha, who has been living in Patna for the last 35 years, says, “The lodge in which the landlord’s house also lives. There the landlord gives room only after taking all the information. Everything includes the student’s local address, caste and religion. On the other hand, it takes a lot of effort to get a flat. Some caste boys from upper caste and OBC category do not face much problem. Whereas Dalits and Muslims face problems. All this incident has happened with a Dalit friend of mine.”
“Name is asked first with great love. Then the certificate name. If he does not even know, then the father’s name is asked. Even after all this, if there is no smell, then the direct caste is asked. Room broker Dhananjay Mandal explains.
Professor targeting a particular caste
A local resident of Professor Colony, Punai Chak, Patna, who is a professor by profession. Says on the condition of anonymity, “In the 1990s, a particular caste used to first rent a room and then grab it. Because of this fear, even today, in many cities of Bihar, landlords avoid people of that caste. So why are Dalits and Muslims not given rooms on rent? On answering this question, Professor Saheb says, “What is already going on has to be followed. Although this is not a good idea, but if most people believe, then you should also believe. When one professor thinks like this, what to expect from others.
Why don’t Muslim students live in Hindu dominated areas?
Patna’s Punai Chak is becoming a new stronghold for the students. Nishant, who lives in Punai Chak, says, “I have been preparing for competitive exams for the last 13 years. There are more than 200 lodges in the Punai Chak area. Till date, we have not seen any Muslim community boy preparing while staying in the lodge. While I have changed at least four to five lodges. What is the reason for this? On answering this question, Nishant becomes silent.
Professor Saket Dubey of Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism, who does research on caste subjects, says that, “Not only Patna but in any city of India, people of Muslim community live together. Because they are still threatened by a certain mindset in India. The security approach is the most important aspect of it.”
caste that does not
Professor Saket Dubey explains that, “In Bihar, where the rules and laws made by the government are also from the caste point of view, caste hardly ends there. The fiercest and most vicious face of casteism is still the armor coil of the local leaders of Bihar.
“I had heard that caste is limited to villages only. But the orgy of racism happens in cities too. The only difference is that it is done by hiding here and by showing it in the village. Ramesh Kumar of Samastipur explains.
“The question of caste still remains in the heart of the common man. Keeping it in the room is a big deal, in Bihar, friendship and marriage are also done after seeing the caste. There is a lack of political will and enthusiasm to abolish the caste system in Bihar as many generations of the so-called upper castes have benefited from this system. The leader of the Communist Party and read from JNU, Nanddev Yadav of Supaul, Bihar explains.
(Rahul’s report from Bihar.)
