Bihar’s Gobi Farming Approval Sparks Controversy Over 1989 Bhagalpur Violence Remarks

As the National Democratic Alliance got a landslide win in the Bihar election, Assam Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal shared a photo of cauliflower farms captioned “Bihar approves gobi farming”, invoking the “Cauliflower” massacre during the 1989 Bhagalpur violence, in which hundreds of Muslims were brutally killed.

In the Logain massacre, 116 Muslims were killed, and their bodies were buried and concealed by planting cauliflower and cabbage saplings to hide the evidence. The riots were fueled by the radicalisation of Hindu masses through the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)’s Ram Janmabhoomi movement, creating an atmosphere of anti-Muslim hatred and distrust.

In Bihar’s Bhagalpur, the violence, which lasted nearly two months, resulted in the deaths of around 1,070 people and injuries to 524. A total of 11,500 houses in 195 villages were destroyed, displacing 48,000 people. Additionally, 68 mosques and 20 mazars were destroyed. 

The majority of those killed, almost 93%, were Muslims.

The Bhagalpur silk industry, primarily led by Muslims, suffered severe devastation, with 600 power looms and 1,700 handlooms burned, causing immense economic loss and wiping out livelihoods.

NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat responded to the post, expressing shock that a minister would allude to a massacre, saying, “We all know what gobi farming means. Don’t think this is the right interpretation of the victory in Bihar.”

Prateek Waghre, founder of Internet Freedom Foundation, also condemned the post, noting that the lack of consequences for such conduct reflects a deeper societal decay.

“That a political career will not fade into oblivion for this act alone tells you a lot about the state of Indian society today,” he wrote, adding, “Yes, people will report it, and it may even get taken down. But it is only a manifestation of a deeper rot. How do we fix that?”

While the phrase has long been used by Hindutva handles as a coded threat of Muslim genocide, many X users pointed out that Singhal is not an ordinary social media user but a sitting cabinet minister, making his use of such inflammatory language even more alarming.

The post “Bihar approves Gobi farming”: Assam minister’s election post evokes Muslim massacre during 1989 Bhagalpur violence appeared first on Maktoob media.