Tag: jharkhand

Jharkhand: 3,000 Anti-CAA Protesters Booked, Govt Promises to Remove Sedition Charges.

Source – thewire.in

New Delhi: Dhanbad Police of Jharkhand has registered a case against more than 3,000 people on Tuesday under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including the law against sedition (124 A) for their involvement in a protest against the the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens.

According to a copy of the FIR seen by The Wire, the protesters have been charged under sections 143, 145, 149 (sections related to unlawful assembly), 186, 188 (obstructing a public servant), 290, 291 (creating public nuisance), 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others), 153- A and 153-A (attempts to promote disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different reli­gious groups) and 124 A (sedition).

The FIR was registered on the basis a of complaint filed by the circle officer Prashant Kumar Laiq on Tuesday against thousands of protesters who allegedly blocked a road and raised inflammatory slogans. Based on the complaint, the local police registered an FIR against seven named and three thousand unnamed protesters for allegedly blocking traffic, creating chaos and shouting anti- government slogans, along with hurting religious sentiments and organising a protest without permission.

City superintendent of police R. Ramkumar confirmed that an FIR has indeed been filed against the protesters. Speaking to a news portal, Ramkumar said, “On the instructions of the district administration, a case has been registered under different sections, including treason.”

The news portal further reported that the police is investigating the case and making full efforts to identify the unknown by watching the video. However, no arrests have been made so far.

Notably, no violence and obstruction was reported during the protest. In fact, there is no mention of the same in the complaint.

While there is a mention of inflammatory slogans, it does not go into what those slogans were. Similarly, there is nothing written in the complaint as to what attracts a serious charge like sedition. There is only a mention that the protesters raised anti-government slogans.

Commenting on the case, high court lawyer and a resident of the city,  Shadab Ansari said there is no merit in the case. “The sections used in the FIR are not applicable,” Ansari told The Wire, adding he is planing to move an appropriate court to quash the FIR.

He also said that there was no need for permission to organise protests as it is the constitutional right of every citizen. “Moreover,” said Ansari, “as far as I know there was no imposition of 144 in the city. So, there is hardly any merit in the police case.”

According to a news report on The Telegraph, on Tuesday, more than 4,000, people, mostly from Wasseypur area of the city took out a march from Ara Mor amid heavy police deployment.

They raised slogans like “Na Hindu jalega, na Mussalman jalega, tum aag lagaoge to insaan jalega (Neither Hindus nor Muslims will burn, if you light a fire humanity will burn).”

As per the newspaper, the protesters held placards, banners and posters with slogans such as “Jahan paida hue hain wahin dafan bhi honge (Where I was born I will die there)”, “Divide karke chalate hain rajya kya? Logon ko pitne se thamti hai awaz kya? (Can one divide and govern? Can one beat people to gag voices?), “India needs better economy, better healthcare, not religious hatred”, and “Reject CAA”.

They also shouted slogans such as “Hum leke rahenge azadi, CAA se azadi, NRC se azadi, NPR se azadi” and “Ekta ka raj chalega, Hindu-Muslim saath chalega.”

Meanwhile, reacting to the case, the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, a group formed defend people’s rights and save democracy in Jharkhand, tweeted that the new “Hemant Soren administration needs to be clearly instructed to stop using sedition charge.” The group also noted that the governor Draupadi Murmu, addressing the newly elected Vidhan Sabha on January 7, said that the government was committed to protecting secularism and freedom of expression. On the same day, the administration slapped anti-CAA protesters with sedition charges.

Demanding that people’s right to freedom of expression be respected, the Mahasabha further said, “Hope your (Hemant Soren’s) government, unlike the previous dispensation, will respect people’s freedom of expression and the right to dissent.”

On Wednesday evening, as per Indian Express reporter Abhishek Angad, Jharkhand additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sukhdev Singh has said that the sedition charges will be removed. And Director General of Police (DGP) KN Choubey said, there was no element of sedition. Moreover, SSP Dhanbad has said that City SP has been directed to send a correction letter to the court removing IPC 124A.

It can be recalled that during the Pathalgadi movement (which started in 2017), more than 170 people were charged under sedition in a total of 19 cases by the previous BJP government. The new government, which came to the power in December and is headed by Hemant Soren of JMM in its first cabinet meeting dropped all cases (including sedition) registered against people during the Pathalgadi movement in 2017-2018.

Jharkhand school sets example on cleanliness.

Source – outlookindia.com

Jharkhand, Jan 7 (IANS) A school in Jharkhand”s Palamu district has been chosen by the Niti Aayog for undertaking best practices in clean water sanitation and inclusive infrastructure.

The Dulsulma Middle School in the Palamu district has set an example of cleanliness and overall development before the country, even as many schools in the state are deprived of basic facilities.

Niti Aayog on Twitter shared the pictures of this school and appreciated their efforts made for cleanliness, health and overall development in the school.

In the tweet, the Aayog said: “Clean as well as healthy…..The method adopted by this school is very good and like a mass movement for the advanced future of the district.”

The Aayog has appreciated the way the school has made efforts to reach out to all sections of the students. The Hindi – English alphabet is colourfully depicted on the walls of the classroom so that the little children learn it the fun way. The school has special arrangements for the disabled students too, keeping in view of their seating and toilet needs.

The school also has maintained clean tap-water, library and regular electricity, besides focus on maintaining green cover on the premises.

The credit for this rejuvenation of the school goes to Anita Bhengra, the headmistress of the school.

Bhengra, who has served for nearly 15 years in the school, has vowed to develop this school on the lines of a private school. She has made health and cleanliness the priority.

Though, over the years, the number of teachers in the school has declined, but this has not affected her spirit. “Colleagues like Anil Kumar Gupta retired, Arpan Kumar Gupta was sent to another school and then the Principle Mrityunjay Pathak was transferred. But, a team of students was prepared and they have kept the work on,” said Bhengra.

She said that English was introduced in the school, and activities involving the students like group songs, solo songs, painting, etc. were added. “With the help of the senior students, we started teaching smaller students as only two employed teachers and one assistant teacher were left in the school.”

The school gained prominence when a senior teacher, Arpan Kumar Gupta, who has now retired, uploaded the pictures of some innovations and experiments being done in the school on social media.

The efforts for clean and good education has been appreciated by the Palamu district administration also.

Deputy Commissioner of Palamu, Shantanu Kumar Agarhari told IANS: “District administration would honour Anita Bhengra by giving her a citation. Hope other schools too would learn from this school and do the same.”

Rabindra Nath Mahato elected as Jharkhand Assembly Speaker.

Source –

RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Rabindra Nath Mahato was on Tuesday unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Jharkhand Assembly.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren proposed Mahato’s name for the post which was seconded by JMM MLA Champai Soren during the second of the three-day session of the Assembly.

Born on January 12, 1960, Mahato was first elected in 2005 from Nala seat but lost the subsequent elections before winning it again in the 2014 and 2019 polls.

All the newly-elected MLAs in the 81-member House were administered oath by pro-term Speaker Stephen Marandi on Monday.

The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won 47 seats while the BJP could bag only 25 seats in the Assembly elections which were held in five phases from November 30 to December 20 last year.

The results were declared on December 23 last year.

Ranchi diary.

Source – newindianexpress.com

133 Maoist incidents in 2019
A total of 133 Maoist-related incidents took place in 15 of the total 24 districts in Jharkhand last year. Six Maoist groups were found involved in these incidents. CPI (Maoists) toppled the list with 67 cases, followed by Tritiya Prastuti Committee and People’s Liberation Front of India with 24 and 22 incidents. With 30 cases, Chatra saw the maximum of these conflicts. Chaibasa came second with 23 incidents. Similarly, security forces were engaged in 36 encounters with the Maoist outfits in which 36 Red cadres were killed in gunfight. The Maoist cadres also killed 22 civilians last year.

Hockey veterans’ village to be a model village
As a mark of respect to tribal statesman Jaipal Singh Munda of Khunti, his native village Dakra will be developed as a model village. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda announced that his Ministry was working on developing the village of hockey veteran and politician Jaipal Singh Munda into a model village. The announcement was made a day before Jaipal Singh Munda’s birth anniversary, which was celebrated by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on January 3. Dakra will soon boast of all the basic amenities that a model village should have, the minister said. Freedom fighter and tribal legend Birsa Munda was born in the same district, and Dakra’s development will also be a tribute to him, Munda said.

NCC cycle expedition
To develop the spirit of adventure and sportsmanship among NCC cadets, a 4,700 km relay cycle expedition was organised by NCC Bihar-Jharkhand Directorate. Cadets from Ranchi and Hazaribagh Group participated in the expedition which started on November 24, from Ranchi. The event concluded on December 31.   Group Commander Brigadier SK Prasad said that the expedition was also aimed at reaching out to the local people of all districts in the state and spread awareness regarding cleanliness. According to the Brigadier, the cadets successfully completed the expedition, regardless of challenging weather and paths.

Over 1,100 child deaths in RIMS last year
Jharkhand’s premier health institution Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi reported deaths of 1,150 children in last one year. The results come at a time when infant deaths at Kota are making it to the headlines. Authorities attributed poor medical facilities, a lack of doctors and nursing staff, and late arrival of ailing children for this situation. According to the data made available by the RIMS administration, September and October were the most disastrous as the fatalities touched 124 and 117, respectively.

Jharkhand Cops Inspect ‘Jailed’ Lalu Prasad’s Hosp Ward After Video Raises Eyebrows; RJD Says ‘Following Rule Strictly’.

Source – news18.com

Ranchi: A team of senior police officers on Sunday inspected the ward where jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad is undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here.

A purported video that recently went viral on the social media had showed more than three visitors at the paying ward of Prasad, in violation of norms. “It was a general inspection,” one of the police officers of the team, which included the Inspector General (Prison) and Ranchi City Superintendent of Police, said.

According to the Birsa Munda Central Jail manual, three persons can visit Prasad at his paying ward only on Saturdays. On other days, special permission is required to meet the former Bihar chief minister. The RJD, however, claimed that the jail manual is being “strictly followed”.

“Rajya Sabha member Premchand Gupta and former Uttar Pradesh leader Ambika Choudhary were among the three leaders who met Lalu ji on Saturday,” RJD’s Jharkhand unit general secretary Ashutosh Ranjan Yadav told PTI. Prasad is lodged in jail in connection with fodder scam cases.

The RJD, which won a single seat in the just-concluded Jharkhand assembly elections, is part of the new government headed by Hemant Soren.

Fifteen dynasts to sit in Jharkhand Assembly.

Source – newindianexpress.com

RANCHI: The three-day Jharkhand Assembly session, starting on Monday, will have 15 dynasts and at least three pairs of in-laws elected from different constituencies. It will be the first Assembly session after the ruling BJP was trounced by the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance in the state polls whose results were declared on December 23.

Senior JMM MLA Stephen Marandi, who was named as pro-tem Speaker, will oversee the House proceedings till a regular Speaker is elected. Governor Droupadi Murmu will deliver the inaugural address.
Of the 15 newly elected legislators in the 81-member House who replaced their parents or spouses, the maximum of seven are from BJP, six from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and two from the Congress.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren will have brother-in-law and Jama MLA Sita Soren in the Assembly. Sitting on opposite benches will be JMM’s Tundi MLA Mathura Mahto, who is father-in-law of BJP MLA Jai Prakash Bhai Patel. Likewise, Hussainabad MLA Kamlesh Kumar Singh of NCP is related to Congress’ Bermo MLA Rajendra Singh as his daughter is married to
Singh’s son.

The AJSU party, which snapped ties with the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections, will sit in the Opposition. It will be a role reversal for the JVM, which has been in the Opposition since 2006, as its MLAs will sit on treasury benches. With 10 women MLAs, the Jharkhand Assembly is seeing the maximum of women legislators in the last 19 years.  

Incidentally, former chief minister Raghubar Das, who was defeated by his former Cabinet colleague Saryu Roy on his home turf Jamshedpur East, will be not in the House. Shocked with its debacle, the BJP is yet to decide its Leader in the House.    

Another interesting fact about this Assembly is that more than half (54 per cent) of the newly elected MLAs have one or more than one criminal cases against them.

JVM(P) authorises Marandi to re-constitute panels

The JVM (Prajatantrik) authorised its president Babulal Marandi to re-constitute all the committees from panchayat to central level, a fortnight after it won only three seats in the state assembly polls. The decision was taken at the partys ‘Kendriya Karya Samiti’ (executive committee) meeting in Ranchi.

Tribal disconnect, policy failures led to BJP’s loss in Jharkhand.

Source – wionews.com

When I travelled across Jharkhand- my home state in 2017 – public opinion was still in the BJP’s favour. Saffron flags could be seen outside houses in a tribal village on the outskirts of Ranchi. People said that BJP volunteers met them and that they are hopeful that the government will bring development. The changes that central schemes like Ujjwala Yojana brought were visible as many houses got gas connections. Many of them built toilets from the funds allotted by the government.

Yet, the BJP’s defeat was in the offing months ahead of the state elections. Polling in Jharkhand was underway when the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by Parliament but national politics had little impact on the state elections which was fought on regional issues.

Raghubar Das who not only became the state’s first non-tribal chief minister, but also the first to complete a full five-year term was an unknown figure when he took over the post.

His compatriot and former CM Arjun Munda remained much popular. Munda was also a formidable tribal leader in the state.

But Das’ rift with Munda was an open secret and this meant that the latter was mostly not involved in campaigning.

It didn’t help much for an already unpopular CM to sideline well-known veterans and give tickets to Congress turncoats. Anti-corruption crusader Saryu Rai who spoke against tainted ministers in Das’ cabinet was denied a ticket.

Rai later defeated Das as an independent from Jamshedpur East.

The BJP hardly won any seat in the tribal belt while Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) swept the region. Tribal discontent against the government was growing. One of the major concerns was proposed amendments to two land laws- the Chotanagpur Tenancy and the Santhal Parganas Act.

The amendments which did not materialise sought to lift restrictions on the sale of tribals’ land to industries. The opposition dubbed the government as ‘anti-tribal’ and a lack of communication with the people made the situation worse for the BJP.

While Das addressed rallies in Hindi, his rival Hemant Soren – a tribal leader – spoke in regional languages.

The lack of a prominent tribal face was made worse by the saffron party’s fallout with its ally All Jharkhand Student’s Union (AJSU) which was popular among the tribals as well as the OBCs.

The BJP eventually fought the elections alone in a state where no party has been able to secure a majority on its own.

Policy failures too served a blow to the BJP government. The global investors’ summit ‘Momentum Jharkhand’ gained a lot of traction but failed on the ground. The event failed to create jobs and attract investments as the state lacked enough infrastructure to support the establishment of new industries. And once again, the government failed to assuage tribal anger on the issue of land. This as new industrial projects meant acquisition of land in tribal areas.

Analysing BJP’s failure in Jharkhand.

Source –

The decisive victory of the ‘Mahagatbandhan’ of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is an interesting turning point in Jharkhand politics, and perhaps of the country’s, too. This is significant in terms of (i) regulating the political ascendance of BJP, (ii) reaffirming the criticality of regional political parties, and (iii) synchronization of national, state and local issues and people’s aspirations.

Immediately after the Jharkhand Assembly election results, many newspapers and TV news channels published two maps of India depicting how the BJP has shrunk in the states after reaching a peak in 2017. The Jharkhand results are important because it was the first election in a north Indian state after the Narendra Modi government’s move to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 – all part of the BJP’s Hindutva agenda. Yet, Jharkhand became the fifth state since November last year (after Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan) to throw the BJP out of power. The BJP’s presence is now limited to Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh as far as the larger states are concerned. In this context, it is essential to understand the contributing factors behind the BJP’s defeat and its implications for the upcoming Delhi and Bihar elections and for national politics.

The contributing factors for the BJP’s defeat in Jharkhand are many. Some of the crucial ones are the denial of party tickets to genuine and honest candidates, fissures in the local leadership, selection of non-Adivasi chief ministerial candidate in a tribal-dominated state, the rift between the chief minister and the party cadre, the party’s inability to read the needs of the state, the undemocratic arrests of Adivasis who participated in the ‘Pathalgadi Movement,’ the misadventure of pushing amendments to the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Parganas Tenancy (SPT), the passage of the divisive Religious Freedom Bill, 2017.

Significantly, the contentious Land Acquisition (Jharkhand Amendment) Act of 2017, aimed at modifying crucial provisions of ‘The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act, 2013, nullified the role of Gram Sabhas by doing away with the requirement of Social Impact Assessment. The way the BJP dealt with the issues of traditional forest-dwelling communities in the wake of the Supreme Court’s order in February, asking for the eviction of people whose claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006 had been rejected, played a prominent role. The proposed amendments to the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927, diminished the poll prospects of the BJP.

The BJP, with its leaders and local organisational strength, took the opposition political parties for granted. A cursory look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s rallies and speeches indicates the same. The duo focused only on highlighting the government’s role in abrogation of Article 370 and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Rarely did they touch upon people’s real issues, such as land alienation in Adivasi areas, implementing the Forest Rights Act, mitigating poverty levels, addressing malnutrition and hunger, reforming the public distribution system and reducing the development deficit in the state.

The BJP has equated the development requirements of the Adivasi-populated state with that of mainstream areas. It could not assess the uniqueness of Jharkhand’s Adivasi society and the historical legacy of the Adivasi struggle for land rights. Nor could it speed up the state’s development.

One significant aspect is that the BJP has not been able to discern between its national aspirations and the regional and local issues of development in the states. The false cases filed against the Adivasis who participated in the Pathalgadi Movement, a democratic assertion of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution), mainly in the districts of Khunti, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum backfired on the party. Of these, the BJP lost in three and was able to retain only Khunti. The BJP government tried to suppress this people’s movement by linking it with the Maoist insurrection. Another fault line is the negligence of Adivasi identity, especially in choosing the chief ministerial candidate. This may not have been a critical factor, yet it added to the general mood in Jharkhand.

Adivasi assertion

The shift in Adivasi votes and the losses in the Scheduled Tribes constituencies affected the BJP in a big way. The data shows that the BJP won only in two ST constituencies compared to 11 in the 2014 Assembly elections. In terms of vote share, the BJP’s came down from 46% in 2014 to 7% in 2019 in the ST constituencies. That decline is an indicator of the significant role of Adivasi votes in changing the political regime.

It is clear that the policies of the BJP government and the follow-up actions laid a fertile ground for the rise of opposition political parties in Jharkhand. ‘Don’t take your opposition lightly’ seems to be the big takeaway from the Jharkhand elections.

The results have larger implications for national politics in the sense that a strong and firm alliance can defeat the majoritarian. dominant party. It is also hope for those who were despairing that India’s multi-party system was in decline. From a citizen’s perspective, the BJP has underestimated the voter’s political wisdom and people’s ability to differentiate the emotive (Article 370, Ram Mandir, CAA) from the substantive (land rights, local development, etc) issues. Will the BJP top brass reflect on these and make course corrections, perhaps ahead of the Delhi and Bihar Assembly elections in 2020?

Fought Jharkhand Assembly election based on people’s issues, happy they voted: Tejashwi Yadav.

Source – indiatoday.in

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said that he was happy that the people of Jharkhand voted by keeping in mind the issues they faced in their everyday lives.

“We formed an alliance in Jharkhand and had great coordination. We fought the elections based on people’s issues. I am happy that the people there voted by keeping in mind the issues faced by them in their everyday lives,” Tejashwi Yadav told reporters.

Tejashwi Yadav was among the opposition leaders who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at the Mohrabadi Ground in Ranchi.

In a show of strength by the opposition parties, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) leader Sharad Yadav were among the senior leaders who graced the occasion.

Tejashwi Yadav accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading hatred amongst communities and took on the party over issues like inflation and unemployment.

“We are seeing that the country is in a state of an undeclared emergency. Hatred is being spread. Inflation is rising, unemployment has increased and GDP is falling. When Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar 19 years ago, BJP was in power for 16 years and had the opportunity to take the state to great heights. Instead, Jharkhand is lagging behind today,” Tejashwi Yadav said.

Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD, which fought the Jharkhand Assembly elections in alliance with Congress and JMM, won a comfortable majority by securing 47 seats in the 81-member house.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won 30 seats, while Congress and RJD garnered 16 and one seat respectively.

Jharkhand: In first cabinet decision, Hemant Soren govt to quash Pathalgadi sedition cases against tribals.

Source – timesnownews.com

Ranchi: Hours after taking oath as the Jharkhand chief minister for a second time, Hemant Soren cabinet decided to withdraw all sedition cases filed against tribals during the Pathalgadi movement. Tribals had carried out a massive protest in Jharkhand over Raghubar Das-led BJP government’s decision to amend Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, 1949 in 2018.

Groups linked to the Pathalgadi movement are active across four districts of Jharkhand – Khunti, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum. All these villages come under the Maoist-infested districts.Volume 0% 

Pathalgadis have erected giant plaques declaring their Gram Sabha as the only sovereign authority and have also banned “outsiders”, who they call “Diku” in their native language, from entering the area.

The plaque says that Pathalgadis believe in the Constitution but will follow only their Gram Sabha diktats.

Chhota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act 1908 and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act, 1949, safeguard tribal tenancy rights and in June 2018, the movement erupted in Khunti, 40 km south-east of state capital Ranchi after police thrashed a gathering of Munda villagers over allegations of raiding the house of former Lok Sabha deputy speaker and BJP MP Karia Munda and abducting three security guards.

Khunti is historically linked to the Birsa movement led by tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

The entire Opposition, especially the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had protested against the amendments.

Soren’s oath-taking ceremony was attended by a galaxy of opposition leaders and members from the regional parties and the 44-year-old tribal leader was sworn in as the 11th chief minister of the state by Governor Droupadi Murmu.

Other decision taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Soren and attended by three of his ministers included clearing arrears of para-teachers, contractual employees, Anganwadi workers and student scholarships. Apart from these new directives, orders were also issued to fill-up vacancies in government departments.