Bhainsa: This Town In Northern Telangana Symbolises The Challenges BJP Faces In The State

When The Kerala Story hit the screens earlier this year, it evoked strong reactions across the country, as well as internationally.

Bhainsa, a small town in Telangana, in Nirmal district, refused to screen the film.

The management at the only theatre in town alleged that the police denied permission for screening to "prevent any disturbance to public peace".

Bhainsa of the past was described as a hotbed for Naxal activity as it borders Adilabad. More recently, it has been infamous for communal violence, curfews, and Internet shutdowns.

Ahead of the assembly elections in Telangana, understanding Bhainsa's politics is crucial, as it is virtually a microcosm of Telangana's communal rivalries.

Communally Sensitive

In the recent past and even in the current campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) combine has struggled to make inroads into Bhainsa.

In 2022, when the former Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay wanted to hold a padayatra in Bhainsa, permission to him was refused and he was later arrested.

In 2023, when the RSS tried to hold a march through the town, permission for that was denied as well.

According to the 2011 census data, Bhainsa's population comprises 49 per cent Hindus and 47 per cent Muslims.

In the last two to three years, at least three different instances of communal clashes have been reported from the town. (Read Swarajya's reports here and here)

Bhainsa's residents are said to face apathy from the state government and local authorities. To this day, simple Hindu celebrations such as immersion of idols during Ganesh Chaturthi requires 'tight security'.

Local journalists like Sridharan Siddhu have been a victim of state-sanctioned witchhunt for reporting the riots of 2020.

After Siddhu posted a 27-minute video from Bhainsa that carried the statements of victims who had lost their belongings and property, Telangana Police was quick to file an FIR against him under Section 135(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for 'spreading communal disharmony'.

The state government under Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) tried to downplay the incident at the time, calling it 'petty' and undeserving of statewide attention.

Hindu Exodus Then, Hindu Exodus Now

On 12 January 2020, about a hundred houses in Bhainsa Town of Telangana’s Nirmal district were burnt in communal fire, ignited by what residents call “a petty spat”.

Within 24 hours, several houses and vehicles in Korbagalli and adjoining lanes were reduced to rubble.

Reports quoted police as saying that a total of 13 houses, 24 two-wheelers, a car and an autorickshaw were completely gutted. At least 10 people, along with four policemen, were reportedly injured in stone-pelting.

Swarajya's Senior Editor Swati Goel Sharma had covered the aftermath of the communal riots in the area.

Many people lost their savings and their homes in the riots. Men were killed and women were reportedly molested. Over 40 people sustained injuries and several properties were damaged.

The day of the fire was the last day of a three-day Iztema (a religious gathering of Muslims) being held in the district, which about 2 lakh people reportedly attended.

The violence, local residents said, was linked to that gathering.

Just a year later, in 2021, a similar incident took place in the town. Four people were injured as two groups clashed at the Zulfiqur mosque at Bhainsa in Telangana’s Nirmal district on 7 March. The unrecognised miscreants also reportedly caused some arson, burnt three houses, four two-wheelers and damaged paan shops and other small shops.

Arvind Dharmapauri, BJP MP from Nizamabad, had said at that time that the responsibility of the riots lay on the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) municipal dispensation that wanted to drive away the members of Hindu community from the area, and accused the TRS government of playing appeasement politics.

Way Forward For BJP?

In the run up to the assembly elections, and given its recent history, Bhainsa has become a field of intense polarisation.

It is in such a field that a comparatively small BJP state organisation is trying to secure support.

BJP leaders in the state like Bandi Sanjay Kumar have visited Bhainsa and promised justice to the victims of the violence.

A year ago, Kumar, while comparing KCR to the last Nizam of Hyderabad, asked whether "we need visas to enter the place (Bhainsa)."

Interestingly, Kumar belongs to the Munnuru Kapu community — the one that was also a victim of the violence in Bhainsa.

Later, in 2022, when Kumar launched the fifth phase of his Praja Sangrama Yatra from Bhainsa, he was arrested by the state police in Jagtial district.

He was on his way to Nirmal to launch the yatra, which would have covered three Lok Sabha and eight assembly constituencies across five different districts over a period of 20 days.

This time around, the BJP has a tough fight ahead of them.

"Bhainsa's story can be the story of BJP in Telangana this time," says journalist Sridharan Siddhu, quoted above.

Here is why:

One, Bhainsa is a stronghold of the AIMIM even today.

With the BRS in alliance with the AIMIM, it is nearly impossible to defeat them in areas like Bhainsa.

The same is the case in the areas of Old City Hyderabad, from where Raja Singh is elected.

Two, the Congress has suddenly come back to life from a coma after the announcement of freebies by its leadership.

Three, Hindu votes of the majority community in Telangana are divided between the BRS and the Congress. This is the case even in Bhainsa.

While the BJP managed to shine during the municipal elections, political observers are sceptical of their ability to outshine the other parties this time around.