‘Bihar was ruled by impotent governments’ says Badri Narayan Pandey, who formed the Gram Raksha Dal to fight against dacoits and made West Champaran crime-free: Ground Report
If you walk down the streets in Bihar’s West Champaran district in the evening, you feel the serenity of a village. But about three decades ago, this area was known as “Mini Chambal”. Dacoits ruled the region, and for locals, leaving home after 5 pm amounted to inviting death. Kidnapping, robbery, murder, and massacre were a daily occurrence. The situation worsened during Lalu Yadav’s Jungle Raj.
Seeing the shattered law and order situation in the area and the locals being left to fend for themselves, Badri Narayan Pandey, displayed immense courage and formed a self-defence group comprising locals called the ‘Village Defence Force’. The self-defence group not only liberated Champaran from dacoits but also became an example of self-defence across the country. From the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh to the Village Defence Force in Jammu and Kashmir, Pandey’s story continues to inspire many.
In conversation with OpIndia, Badri Narayan Pandey narrated how it all began. Let’s first start by understanding the dark period when Bihar was a victim of Jungle Raj. From 1990 to 2005, under the governments of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, the crime rate skyrocketed. The statistics were shocking. According to a report, there were more than 32,000 kidnappings, 18,000 murders, and 59 major massacres during the dreaded period. In 1997, the Patna High Court had termed the period as “Jungle Raj”.
The era of Jungle Raj in Bihar and of Mini Chambal
The 1990s were a dark period for Bihar. Lalu Prasad Yadav was in power at the time, and the term “Jungle Raj” had become commonplace in Bihar. The Bagaha region of West Champaran, known as “Mini Chambal,” had become a hotbed of dacoit terror. People were afraid to leave their homes after 5 p.m. Kidnapping, robbery, murder, and rape had become routine. Schools and colleges were closed, traders avoided going to markets, and farmers feared visiting their fields. The threat of dacoits in this region was so prevalent that people were not safe even in their own homes.
One of the most harrowing examples of peak criminal activities during the Jungle Raj was the Narkatia massacre of December 14, 1994. In the horrifying incident, dacoits brutally killed 15 villagers in Narkatia Bhuarwa village, in Ramnagar block. More than a dozen villages were brutally murdered by the dacoits in a single night. The victims were Gauri Shankar Mahato, Jai Ram Mahato, Ramvilas Mahato, Vishram Mahato, Dharamraj Mahato, Bhikhari Mahato, Chhedi Mahato, Roshan Mahato, Rogahi Mahato, Narsingh Mahato, Bhubaneshwar Mahato, Rudal Mahato, Baliram Mahato, Sadakat Miyan, and Pandu Munda.
The massacre spread terror throughout the region. Gangs of notorious dacoits like Radha Yadav, Ramchandra Mallah, Alauddin Miyan, Chumman Yadav, Rajendra Chaudhary, Kishori Nunian, Patthar Chauhan, and Nema Yadav had become synonymous with terror in the area.
Jungle Raj meant a free pass to criminals under Lalu Yadav’s rule
During the rule of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, the nexus between crime and politics was at its peak in Bihar. In West Champaran, dacoits held such sway that they held their own courts, where politicians came to pay obeisance to ensure their electoral victory. Dacoit leaders like Bhagad Yadav, Lachhan Yadav, Bansi Yadav, Harihar Yadav, Lalu Yadav, and Suresh God not only blatantly committed crimes but also interfered in local politics. The police and administration had no power or control. Due to the government’s failure to maintain law and order, ordinary people were left helpless. Children were unable to attend school, and parents constantly prayed for their children’s safety.
Even the judges were not safe, and some of them were shot dead by dacoits. The District Judge of the West Champaran district referred to the area as ‘Mini Chambal’. In 1986, the police launched ‘Operation Black Panther’ to wipe out dacoits but failed to curb the menace. Seeing the government and the police fail, the locals mustered courage and decided to fight the terror on their own.
Badri Narayan Pandey started the village defence team
In the terror-ridden environment of West Champaran, an ordinary man, Badri Narayan Pandey, was determined to free society from the dacoits. A retired clerk from the Army Medical Corps, Pandey had witnessed the terror of dacoits in his village, Siswa-Basantpur. People wouldn’t open their doors before 8 a.m. in the morning and would not step out of their homes as soon as the sun set. Pandey resolved to change this situation.
On July 27, 1990, he founded the Gram Raksha Dal (village defence team), which included people of all ages and castes in the village. Pandey initially gathered a few villagers to form a “Shaheedi Jattha” (martyr squad) and collected all their licensed weapons. They swore an oath to sacrifice their lives to protect the village. This group began patrolling the village. Checkpoints were set up in every village, where no one was allowed to enter without identification and verification. During the day, people received weapons training and remained awake at night to perform duties. Women and children also participated in the search missions.
Abhayanand and G. Krishnaiah received support
In this campaign, Pandey was supported by the then Superintendent of Police, Abhayanand, and District Magistrate, G. Krishnaiah. Abhayanand recognised Pandey’s efforts and provided moral and logistical support. G. Krishnaiah, too, prioritised the safety of the villagers, without caring for his own job. Both officers participated in Gram Raksha Dal meetings and encouraged them. However, in 1994, G. Krishnaiah, then serving as District Magistrate in Gopalganj, Lalu Yadav’s home district, was assassinated. His murder sent shockwaves throughout Bihar, but it failed to dampen the spirits of the Gram Raksha Dal.
The Gram Raksha Dal operated like a disciplined army
The Gram Raksha Dal operated in a military style to fight the dacoits. They identified the dacoits’ informants and associates. They tried to reform some, and those who refused were expelled from the village or punished. Pandey infiltrated the dacoits’ gangs and won over their associates, luring them into the mainstream and assuring their families’ safety. They also spied on the dacoits and gathered complete knowledge of their weapons and ammunition stock. Gram Raksha Dal waited for the dacoits to run out of ammunition before launching their retaliatory attack and killing or capturing the dacoits.
This armed struggle lasted from 1990 to 2002. During this period, the Gram Raksha Dal seized weapons such as machine guns and handed them over to the government. At one point, they possessed 16,000 weapons, including 9,500 licensed ones. The organisation established units in over 375 villages, covering over 60% of West Champaran. The dacoits were driven into the forests of the Someshwar Hills. The courage of the villagers forced them to surrender or flee.
Narkatia massacre and the Village Defence Party’s response
Following the Narkatia massacre, when dacoits demanded rice, goats, and women from villagers and killed 15 when they refused, the Gram Raksha Dal took a unique action. They formed a kilometre-long human chain, including women and children. The solidarity demonstrated by villagers shattered the morale of the dacoits. In another case where dacoits kidnapped 16 children, the Gram Raksha Dal acted swiftly and rescued them.
There was also political opposition, the RJD was wary of the Gram Raksha Dal
The ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was alarmed by the growing strength of the Gram Raksha Dal. They feared that Badri Narayan Pandey would challenge their power by forming his own political party. Voices were raised against the Gram Raksha Dal in the Assembly and Lok Sabha, but the then Assembly Speaker criticised the government, stating that the local people were compelled to defend themselves after the elected government failed to protect them. This support further emboldened the Gram Raksha Dal.
By 2002, dacoits had been completely eliminated from West Champaran. Dacoits surrendered, and peace returned to areas like Bagaha. The success of the Gram Raksha Dal inspired movements like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh. Even today, organisations like the Gram Raksha Dal are deployed by the government to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
SN Subbarao became the inspiration for Badri Pandey
Badri Pandey’s source of inspiration came from his participation in the Youth Project in Bengaluru, where, under the leadership of S.N. Subbarao, young people were encouraged to engage in social work. Pandey applied this inspiration to his village, uniting the community to fight against dacoits. Under his leadership, the Gram Raksha Dal not only defeated the dacoits but also created a new atmosphere of discipline and unity in the community.
Today’s West Champaran is moving towards freedom from crime.
After Nitish Kumar’s government came to power in 2005, crime in Bihar was significantly curbed. Once a stronghold of dacoits, the Gobarahiya police station area of West Champaran is now crime-free. In the past five years, there have been almost no cases of murder, robbery, snatching, or harassment of women. In villages, individuals referred to as ‘Gumasta’ help in the resolution of disputes at the local level, thus reducing the burden on the police system.
Listen to Badri Narayan Pandey narrate how Champaran slipped into the darkness of robbery and plunder, and how he freed Champaran from the terror of dacoits by establishing ‘Gram Raksha Dal Shaheed Jatha’ in 1990.
The story of Badri Narayan Pandey and his Gram Raksha Dal is a story of a community’s triumph in the face of Bihar’s Jungle Raj. Emerging from the horrific events like the Narkatiya massacre, West Champaran set an example of peace and security. Pandey’s courage, the support of officials like Abhayanand and G. Krishnaiah, and the solidarity of the villagers transformed “Mini Chambal” into a crime-free zone. This story is an inspiration not only for Bihar but for the entire country: if a community unites, no challenge is impossible.
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