Tip of the iceberg

Nobody in Kapilvastu knows for sure who killed Moid Khan. Some think the Maoists killed him. Others argue one of the armed groups could have killed him. Some even think it could be a family feud. Whoever killed Moid Khan and for whatever reasons, the unrest that ensued after his murder is perhaps only one manifestation of the multi-faced and deep-rooted conflict in Kapilvastu. The conflict between the landlords, mostly madhesi and landless pahadis is a major one. The conflict between the Khans and landless pahadis residing in Birpur, Shivapur and Bisunpur is one specific case. Long before the Maoists came to the scene, the Khans and the Chaudharis, two landlord families in the district, were intolerant of the latter who settled or rather was made to settle in open lands around their locality. Politics, vendetta, crime and ethnic conflict mingle here, at time so complexly that when an incident occurs it is difficult to find out what caused which. “It is very easy in Kapilvastu”, says a local in Taulihawa. 'If you don't like someone, take a gun and shoot him. And politicise the killing. You don't have to stand trial once you politicise it.' People here also talk about the rampant smuggling and other underworld activities that take place along the border areas. The Hindu-Muslim dimension also exists to some extent. In 1990 when Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya, it had its repercussions here.