Nawada Fire: Bihar Police Arrests Prime Accused Nandu Paswan, 15 Others In Dalit Locality Arson Case

Nawada fire: Nandu Paswan, the prime accused in the Nawada arson case in Bihar, has been arrestd.

Nawada Fire: After Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's probe order, the Bihar Police on Thursday arrested 16 people accused of arson in Bihar's Nawada. Among the arrested is the prime accused, Nandu Paswan. The Prime accused is allegedly part of a land mafia in Bihar's Nawada district.

The Nawada fire has Bihar politics on the boil, with Opposition leaders demanding immediate punishment of the accused and rehabilitation of the affected families. Even Nitish Kumar's NDA partner Chirag Paswan of the LJP (Ram Vilas) condemned the incident and demanded a judicial inquiry. "The news of the burning of about 80 houses in Mahadalit Tola by goons in Nawada, Bihar, is extremely shameful and reprehensible. Being a major ally of the NDA government, I demand that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar get the culprits arrested as soon as possible and mete out the harshest of punishments," Paswan said in an X post.

Although initial reports claimed that 80 homes had been gutted, the police said 30 houses were set on fire on Wednesday. The victims have alleged that before the arson, they were beaten up. The police registered an FIR against 26 people. The arson was committed allegedly over a land dispute. The victims had been residing on government land for the past several years. 

Who Is Nandu Paswan? Prime Accused In Nawada Arson Case

Nandu Paswan, a resident of Pranpur in Bihar, is a former Bihar policeman. Paswan retired from the police force in 2014. His son, Nageshwar Paswan, is reportedly a ward member of Ward 16 of Krishna Nagar and his daughter-in-law Sarita Bharti is an Anganwadi worker.

According to News 18 Hindi, Nandu Paswan owned 4 decimal raiyati land at the site of the arson. In simple terms, raiyati land is a plot over which a person has acquired ownership rights, either by inheritance from ancestors or purchasing.

Several news reports claimed that Nandu Paswan had been eyeing the adjoining plots for a long time. Even in 2023, a shootout had occurred in the locality allegedly to threaten locals to vacate their homes.