Assam’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Ashok Singhal recently sparked outrage and widespread condemnation after posting a photograph of a cauliflower field on social media with the caption “Bihar approves Gobi farming.”
Several viewers and the opposition have recognised the post as a darker and disturbing subtext to the phrase “Gobi farming” in the Bihar context.
What is “Gobi Farming” in Bihar?
In the late 1980s, Bihar was the site of one of India’s worst communal violence episodes, the Bhagalpur riots of 1989. During this period, especially in a village called Logain near Bhagalpur city, over 1,000 people lost their lives in ethnic and religious clashes between Hindus and Muslims, leaving deep scars on the region’s social fabric.
One of the most chilling elements tied to the riots is the infamous “cauliflower burial” or “cauliflower farming” case. Reports and investigations found that a mob had killed 116 Muslim men and boys and clandestinely buried their bodies in a field, disguising the atrocities by planting cauliflower and cabbage saplings over the burial site to conceal the evidence.
Since then, “Gobi farming” has become a sensitive and evocative phrase symbolizing the Bhagalpur massacre’s brutality. It is widely seen as a horrific reference to communal violence and genocide against Muslims in Bihar.
The post by Ashok Singhal and the backlash
Ashok Singhal’s post came at a politically charged moment shortly after the NDA’s emphatic victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, where the alliance secured an overwhelming majority. The post simply showed a field of cauliflower with the caption “Bihar approves Gobi farming,” seemingly intending to celebrate the poll win through a local agriculture metaphor.
However, netizens, activists, and political leaders quickly connected the imagery and phrase to the Bhagalpur massacre’s dark legacy. Many accused Singhal of using the term to mock and dehumanize the Muslim community by glorifying a pogrom: the brutal mass killing and subsequent cover-up of Muslim victims via “cauliflower farming.”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor weighed in, condemning any glorification of such violence, stating that as a proud Hindu, he opposed normalizing hate against any community. Opposition spokespersons accused the ruling party of fostering toxic political discourse by allowing such posts without censure.
At the same time, a few users attempted to defend Singhal, arguing the post could be interpreted as a reference to agricultural subsidies and schemes in Bihar supporting cauliflower farming, rather than anything communal. Nevertheless, the predominant sentiment viewed the post as a deeply offensive and historically loaded provocation.
The Bhagalpur riots: Historical context
Understanding the gravity of “Gobi farming” requires delving into the tragic history of the Bhagalpur riots. The violence erupted in late October 1989 amid heightened communal tensions exacerbated by the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and a series of provocative incidents. Bhagalpur city and its surrounding villages saw widespread rioting, arson, and targeted killings of Muslims.
The Logain massacre in particular remains a grim symbol of the riots’ savagery. Reports revealed how a mob of approximately 4,000 people attacked the local Muslim population, killing 116 individuals. To hide the mass murders, the perpetrators planted cauliflower saplings over the burial grounds, giving rise to the term “cauliflower burial.”
This massacre was emblematic of one of the deadliest and most inhumane episodes of communal violence in independent India. Investigations criticized police inertia and failures in governance, while survivors and relatives of victims have long sought justice amid a backdrop of delayed court proceedings, acquittals, and political controversies.