In a fresh row over ‘Patthalgadi’ in Khunti, hundreds of villagers on Tuesday midnight, surrounded a police party which was on patrolling near Buruhatu village under Arki police station demanding release of ‘Patthalgadi’ activist Durga Munda, arrested by the police on Tuesday. The matter could be resolved only after additional police force, headed by ASP (Operations) Anurag Raj and SDPO Ranveer Singh, who somehow succeeded in convincing the villagers that ‘Patthalgadi’ was illegal.
‘Patthalgadi’ in Jharkhand, is an age old tradition of tribals to put monoliths in the name of ancestors on the borders of villages, but of late, the tradition has been revived as a form of protest allegedly by some anti-social elements to prevent the entry of police and administrative officials by putting up stone plaques outside villages. It has now become a common practice in the interiors of Khunti and its adjoining districts Chaibasa, Simdega and Seraikela-Kharsawan.
“The villagers took to the streets demanding release of Durga Munda, who was arrested and sent to jail after being produced before a local court on Tuesday, saying that he was arrested without any charges against him,” said a senior police official in Khunti requesting anonymity. Meanwhile, a landmine vehicle and a police party, which was out on long Range Patrolling in the region, were encircled by hundreds of villagers leading to a blockade on Khunti-Tamar Road for a few hours, he added.
“Additional police forces were sent to look into it, which finally succeeded in convincing the villagers that ‘Patthalgadi’ was an illegal activity for which Munda has been arrested following which they got dispersed,” said the official. After dispersing from the road, the villagers held a meeting to chalk out future plan of action, he added.
“They again came and gheraod Arki police station and handed over an application to the Officer in-Charge that Munda was arrested illegally without having any charges against him,” the official said. He claimed that it was a common phenomenon in the region that they immediately call a public meeting in case of any crisis,” he added.
The application was taken and will be forwarded to senior officials, he said.
The official, however, was of the view that ‘Patthalgadi’ was in practice in the region due to lack of awareness among the people and also out of greed that they will get benefitted out of it.
“As we talked to the villagers, they admitted that they have been given an impression that there is a lot of money in Geneva which will be credited, at least 20 lakh, to their accounts, if they defy the Constitution of India,” he said. In addition to that, some of anti-social elements have also been misguiding them by interpreting the provisions of Constitution of India incorrectly, appealing them not to accept benefits of government schemes, said the official.
Despite arresting of several ‘Patthalgadi’ activists, including its mastermind and National Working President of Adivasi Mahasabha and efforts made by the State Administration, it is still being performed in the region, putting the district administration at its toes. Several awareness programmes and public meetings are also being held with villagers and the village heads appealing them not to get carried away with the illogical arguments given by the anti-social elements.