Mariyam Usmani, TwoCircles.net
The city of Samastipur in Bihar witnessed horrific incidents of communal outbreak on Maha Shivratri. What should have been a normal business day for the Muslim shopkeepers quickly turned into communal turmoil when a group of 20-25 hoodlums stormed into the local market and targeted Muslim-owned shops with threats and abuse.
“My chicken shop was open as usual when they rushed in, hurling anti-Muslim slurs and forcing us to shut down,” narrated Mohammad Imtiaz, one of the survivors of the attack.
The incident occurred during the peak hours of the festival’s fair, and Muslim shopkeepers soon realized they were being selectively targeted. Although there were over 16 meat shops in the area — mostly owned by Hindus — eyewitnesses alleged the attackers only went after those belonging to Muslims. The “deliberate” act, they continued, followed a “well-known pattern” of right-wing extremist aggression.
“They did not just threaten to ruin our shops; they also mistreated us,” Imtiaz added. “Why did they ignore the open chicken and mutton stalls of Hindu shopkeepers? It is obvious — they wanted to harm our businesses and disrupt our lives simply because we are Muslims. They cannot tolerate our success and happiness.”
The mob, allegedly composed of Hindutva extremists, began recording videos and taking photographs of the shops with an aim to spread them on social media. The vendors were allegedly given no chance to resist or reason with them.
Fearing further violence, all meat shop owners shut down their businesses, keeping them closed for the next two days. Imtiaz pointed to the “growing culture of hate speech and state-sponsored islamophobia” as the driving force behind such incidents.
“On Maha Shivaratri, only two customers bought chicken from my shop. They were non-Muslims. What happened was horrific. The rise of hate speech and the absence of legal repercussions empower such people to spread their hatred toward Muslims.”
A deliberate intention?
In the Morwa Bazar area, three to four Muslim shopkeepers faced similar threats. They stressed that the attackers had a clear goal: to create unrest and instill fear and insecurity among the Muslim community. Notably, they said, the mobsters were not locals from Morwa Bazar.
“This reminds me of the horrifying Bihar riots. Their motive was clear — they wanted to incite communal violence,” said Nirale Hashmi, a local mutton shop owner. “There is a temple committee responsible for regulating meat shop-related matters. But why do Hindu religious committees have the power to interfere in our livelihoods?”
Despite the shopkeepers handling the situation with patience, no administrative action was allegedly taken against the perpetrators. Nirale’s father, Hira Hashmi, highlighted the sore vulnerabilities of the Muslim community. He emphasized that a single outbreak of violence could undo years of hard-work and struggle.
“The fairground is around 500 meters away from our shops. Then why did they come to this area?” he asked.
The staff at Imtiaz and Hira’s shops described the deep psychological distress they experienced after witnessing the anti-Muslim aggression of the mob.
“We are scared. Muslims are being lynched and attacked. Cow vigilante groups are active in Samastipur, posing a threat to everyone in our business. It takes immense courage to survive. Our daily existence is an act of resistance,” said a worker from Imtiaz’s shop with his voice filled with bitterness.
A pattern
The scars of 2018 communal violence in several districts of the state remain fresh in Samastipur. The city was one of the hotspots of the riots. Rosera village, where a mob allegedly vandalized the Ziya Ul Uloom Madarsa, is not very far from the Morwa Bazar, making the area particularly sensitive to religious tensions.
Hira said, “Muslim residents and businessmen here do not feel safe after the 2018 violence. What we feel goes beyond fear — we have already survived some of the worst tragedies. The nightmares linger. We were not born to suffer endlessly.”
Muslims in Samastipur have observed a recurring “pattern of hate” allegedly employed by right-wing organizations during Hindu festivals to incite violence. This includes attacks on mosques, Muslim religious sites and Muslim-owned businesses, along with provocative demonstrations in Muslim-majority areas.
The shopkeepers said that the 2018 riots also erupted during the Ram Navami procession.
“Can anybody compensate for our loss and trauma? Can the administration guarantee that such incidents will not happen again?” Imtiaz asked.
Samastipur was not the only city in Bihar where the incident took place during the Shivaratri processions. In Munger district, a “love jihad” tableau was allegedly presented to spread similar anti-Muslim propaganda. Bajrang Dal featured a refrigerator filled with mutilated doll parts, a grotesque attempt to vilify Muslim men.
Shareef, a young worker at the Mutton shop, found the procession deeply disturbing. “They need to stop defaming us with conspiracy theories. We understand the true meaning of life and resistance. These Hindutva extremists are butchers of our hopes — but we know how to survive and fight back.”