Ranvir Sena

Ranvir Sena
LeadersBrahmeshwar Singh
Dates of operation1994–2000 to present[1]
HeadquartersBhojpur district, Bihar
IdeologyAnti-communism
Anti-left wing sentiment
Districts affected by the Ranvir Sena

The Ranvir Sena is a militia functioning as a landlord group,[2] mainly based in the state of Bihar, India.[3] The group was formed by Bhumihar Brahmin landlords under the leadership of Brahmeshwar Mukhiya[4] in 1994, with the aim to counter the influence of various left-wing militants, Naxalite groups and the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML) in central Bihar.[5] The Ranvir Sena has been connected to a number of massacres including the massacre at Laxmanpur Bathe.[6] It has, on several occasions, been accused of human rights abuses.[7] The Bihar state government banned the Ranvir Sena in July 1995, but the group continue to remain active. The group has frequently publicly claimed responsibility for its crimes with impunity.[6]

  1. ^ Kumar, Ashwani (6 June 2012). "No gentlemen in this army". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  2. ^ बिहार में रणवीर सेना के पूर्व कमांडर धनजी सिंह सहित 3 की गोली मारकर हत्या [3 shot dead in Bihar, including former Ranvir Sena commander Dhanji Singh]. NDTV (in Hindi). 11 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  3. ^ Dwivedi, Om Prakash; Rajan, V. G. Julie (2016). Human Rights in Postcolonial India. ISBN 9781317310112.
  4. ^ Sinha, Arvind; Sinha, Indu (2001). "Ranveer Sena and 'Massacre Widows'". Economic and Political Weekly. 36 (43): 4095–4099. JSTOR 4411296.
  5. ^ "Ranvir Sena". South Asia Terrorism Portal. Institute for Conflict Management. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b Sahay, Gaurang (2008). Naxalism, Caste-Based Militias and Human Security: Lessons From Bihar (PDF). Is this the Asian century? 17th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia. Melbourne: Monash University. pp. 11–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011.
  7. ^ "India: Human Rights Developments". World Report 2001. Human Rights Watch. 2001. Archived from the original on 16 November 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2009.