Kuer Sena

The Kuer Sena was a caste based militia operating in the Indian state of Bihar during the 1970s and 1980s.[1] The majority of its members were young men from the Rajput caste, and the militia was named after the 19th century figure Kunwar Singh, who is considered be a community hero by the Rajputs of Bihar.[2]

Kuer Sena
Participant in Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
Active1979 - 1990s
IdeologyRight-Wing
Anti-communism
Rajput caste supremacy
LeadersRajnath Singh
Bir Bahadur Singh
HeadquartersWestern Bihar
AlliesRanvir Sena
Opponent(s)Lal Sena
Maoist Communist Centre of India
CPI (ML)

History

The Kuer Sena was one of the first of the caste armies to emerge in Bihar during the Naxalite uprising.[3] It was founded by the Rajput landlord and coal businessman, Rajnath Singh who was also an affiliate of the Indian National Congress party.[3]

While it initially had innocent aims, it eventually grew into having a more sinister role and became a violent defender of the existing class and caste structure which the Naxalite insurgents were fighting against.[3] Because of this, Rajnath Singh was eventually arrested by the local government for heading what was essentially a terrorist organisation and the running of the militia was left to his commander, Bir Bahadur Singh. Bir Bahadur Singh was also known to the local authorities and was connected to some 20 murder cases meaning that he was often in and out of jail.[3] He was eventually elected as an MLA for the Jagdispur area and his tenure was mired by atrocities against the so-called "lower castes".[4] They regularly engaged in battles with the MCC militias and often found themselves allying with other caste-based armies like the Ranvir Sena which was controlled by members of the Bhumihar caste and the Bhumi Sena which was controlled by members of the Kurmi caste.[5]

Disintegration

The organisation ended up collapsing due to its over-reliance on a few Rajput landlords as leadership, many of whom were often sent to jail.[3] The Rajputs soon started to band around a new caste-based army known as the Sunlight Sena which was formed in the early 1990s and allied with Muslim landlords in the region.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. Prakash Louis (2000). "Class War Spreads to New Areas". Economic and Political Weekly. 35 (26): 2206–2207. JSTOR 4409433.
  2. Susan Bayly (22 February 2001). Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age. Cambridge University Press. pp. 347–. ISBN 978-0-521-79842-6.
  3. Ashwani Kumar (2008). Community Warriors: State, Peasants and Caste Armies in Bihar. Anthem Press. pp. 118–. ISBN 978-1-84331-709-8.
  4. Neil A. Englehart (8 May 2017). Sovereignty, State Failure and Human Rights: Petty Despots and Exemplary Villains. Taylor & Francis. pp. 142–. ISBN 978-1-315-40821-7.
  5. ANAND TELTUMBDE (2012). "Mukhiya's Assassination: Jungle Justice in the Face of Systemic Injustice". Economic and Political Weekly. 47 (26/27): 10–11. JSTOR 23251677.
  6. "Will the Muslim militia polarise community on caste lines in Bihar's Imamganj?".
  7. S. K. Ghosh; Srikanta Ghosh (2000). Bihar in Flames. APH Publishing. pp. 60–. ISBN 978-81-7648-160-1.
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