Ranvir Sena
| Ranvir Sena | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1994–present |
| Active region(s) | Bihar, India |
| Status | Active |
The Ranvir Sena is a militant group functioning as an upper caste landlord militia, mainly based in the state of Bihar in eastern India. The group was formed by upper-caste Bhumihar landlords with support from Rajput landlords in 1994, with the aim of wiping out the Dalit farm labourers who had organised under the banner of Communist Party of India, Marxist-Lenninist (CPIML). The Ranvir Sena has been connected to a number of massacres including the massacre at Laxmanpur Bathe. It has, on several occasions, been accused of human rights abuses. The group has frequently publicly claimed responsibility for its crimes with impunity. The Bihar State government banned the Ranvir Sena in July 1995 and since then the Ranvir Sena has been proscribed.
The name Ranvir comes from Ranvir Baba, an iconic local hero of the Bhumihar caste and a supposed mythical figure, and Sena is a Hindi word (origin: Sanskrit sena, meaning 'army'). As the legend goes, during the late 19th century, Ranvir Choudhury, a retired military man and a resident of Belaur village in Bhojpur district, protected the rights of the Bhumihar, a land-owing upper caste of the State, against the domination of the Rajputs. It is said that, due to the activities of Ranvir Baba, the Bhumihars asserted their power in Bhojpur district and established regional supremacy of the Bhumihars. In September 1994, Bhumihars of Belaur village in Bojpur district founded the Ranvir Sena.
Rangbahadur Singh Rajput was the first president of Ranveer Sena. He came from Ichari village, Jagdishpur, Bihar.
The Ranvir Sena originated in Bhojpur in 1994 with the avowed aim of wiping out Dalit liberation organizations, particularly the Naxalite groups and the Communist Party of India, Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) Liberation in central Bihar. The Indian government considers the group a right-wing extremist group, which serve the needs of wealthy landowners. It was founded in September 1994 in Belaur village of Udwantnagar block, Bhojpur district following the merger of private caste armies like Savarna Liberation Army and the Sunlight Sena. The forerunners to the Ranvir Sena in Bhojpur district were the Brahmarshi Sena and Kuer Sena, Kisan Morcha and Ganga Sena. These groups were smaller in size and operated with a limited area.
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