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Article: Bihar state descends into anarchy
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- November 29, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1994 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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For some Indians, a journey into Bihar state in nothern India is
like travelling back to the Dark Ages, to a time of lawlessness and
chaos. But others see Bihar as a nightmare just beginning to
unfold, one in which the hierarchy of caste, which has cemented
Indian Hindu society together for thousands of years, is crumbling
and being replaced by an anarchy that could spread throughout the
country.
"There's a reign of terror in Bihar," said Saibal Gupta, a
sociologist in Patna, the capital of Bihar. "Castes are fighting
castes. The state has withered away, and the things that one counts
on from the state - police, the postman, hospitals, even basic
salaries - have vanished."
A few snapshots ...