Santhosh R

India is the third largest Muslim populated country in the world with an estimated number of over 160 million, constituting roughly 15 per cent of its population. The fundamental theoretical question that underlines most of these inquiries is the distinct character of Muslim encounter with modernity in the specific geopolitical landscape of India during colonial as well as post-colonial contexts. The status of Muslims in India as the largest religious minority stands out as the most significant factor that influences the varied dimensions of their everyday existence. The Muslim religious identity becomes seminal in areas such as citizenship questions, political articulations and socio-economic development as it has tremendous implications on historical as well as contemporary narratives of these dimensions. Throughout the Islamic history, the question of sources of authority from where specific guidelines can be drawn to govern personal as well as public affairs has been a highly contested one.

In this paper, we reflect on the caste-violence perpetrated on lower castes by Bhumihars, one of the dominant castes in Bihar, India, as it indicates their complex relationship with important socio-economic and political issues such as land relations, identity assertion and socio-economic differentiation, among others. We also pay attention to ideological and moral constructs embedded in the narratives about Bhumihars, which provides legitimacy to their violence. Several narratives and personal interviews have been incorporated in our analysis along with a broader mapping of Bhumihars’ historical engagement with violence as a form of caste assertion and its changing character in the contemporary era marked by ‘backward-caste’ mobilisation and the rise of Hindu right-wing politics in Bihar. Our critical study traces these historical trajectories and points to a decisive shift from Bhumihars’ engagement with direct violence towards a more subtle and symbolic form of violence, often masquerading as their articulation and expression of caste identity.